Maturity
by Invader Sam
Summary: The Titans at age 19 - UPDATED! Chapter 14 (the final chapter) is up! The adventure finally has come to an end! Thank you to all who have joined us along the journey!
1. Chapter 1 Morning Routine

A Note From the Author: Okay - once again this is written with the aid of Invader Shaun. Okay...This story has become much longer and complicated than we had originally planned, so it's undergoing some major structure changes!! The actual text is mostly the same, but the song-part has been omitted. That's all that changed in this first chapter. More explanations will come in further chapters.

* * *

Maturity

Chapter One

"Morning Routine"

The light of the rising sun seeped through the slats of the blinds shading Raven's bedroom windows. The nineteen-year-old moaned as the small beams struck her face and forced their way under her eyelids. She rolled over onto her other side, away from the windows, but now the slivers of light seemed to burn streaks in her back and she was forced to greet the day. She sat up, stretching widely and then wiping the sleep from her dark eyes. She slid out of bed and stretched again, yawning. She had never been a morning person, but lately it seemed more than ever that she could never get enough sleep. _'Probably from staying up too late…' _she admonished herself silently. 

Clad in a cotton tank-top and draw-string pajama pants, she glanced at herself in the mirror on her wall (not the entryway to her mind, but just a simple elongated circle of reflective glass). She was as pale as ever, but not nearly as emotionless as she used to look. _'That could have something to do with this new haircut…' _she thought mildly, running a hand through her purple hair, which was now cropped short almost to the point of looking like a boy's style. It hadn't really been her choice; a few weeks ago she'd been caught in a burning building trying to help trapped civilians and most of her hair had been singed beyond repair. It was only thanks to Starfire's connections at the city's salon that she'd managed to scrape by with as much of it left as she had. _'It isn't really that bad,'_ she thought, _'At least I don't really have to worry about it getting in my eyes when I'm fighting anymore. And the guys even apologized for laughing at it to begin with.'_

Not bothering to change, she left her room, gliding down the stairs to the kitchen, where Cyborg and Beast Boy were already seated at the counter, engrossed in their breakfast. "Morning guys," she murmured, crossing to the fridge barely glancing at them. Cyborg hadn't changed much in the five years the team had been together; he was still as large and powerful as ever, and still completely obsessed with his cars – his newest hobby was buying old cars for hardly nothing and then fixing them up till they were better than new. 

Beast Boy had done more growing, physically speaking. He was now nearing six-foot-two and his voice had finally changed (the team had had quite a laugh while it was in its 'cracking' phase). At the moment he was only half-awake, his dark green hair disheveled and his nightshirt sliding off one shoulder. Personality-wise, he hadn't changed much. He was still a big kid at heart, with brief lapses in his immaturity every once in a while when he would act almost grown-up. But those were few and far between, though Raven found herself looking forward to them when they came.

She placed two slices of bread in the toaster and leaned back against the counter to wait for them to toast. It was about this time that it registered to the slowed-by-morning male brains to register that she had greeted them and Cyborg turned slightly and nodded in her direction, "Mornin' Rae."

At the mention of her name, Beast Boy's head shot up and twisted around so fast that the whole tower could hear it crack unnaturally. Blinking back tears of pain and blushing, he grinned embarrassedly at her, rubbing his sore neck. "Hi Rae…didn't hear ya come it."

"I kinda figured that," she said. Leaning closer to him, she raised a hand and black energy passed from her hand to his throat, healing what was surely a pretty descent sprain.

"Um…thanks…" he muttered.

She turned back to her toast, which had just popped up. "Whatever. You're such an idiot when left unattended for too long. Self injury is the least of your worries." He nodded sheepishly and before she could stop herself, a small smile passed over her lips. His pointed ears perked up at the sight, disbelieving his eyes.

"Did somebody break something in here?" Robin asked, meandering into the kitchen a few seconds later, followed closely by Starfire. Robin look basically the same, except taller and bit more muscular, but Star had undergone a few changes of her own. Her hair fell just past her shoulders in wavy, perfectly styled curls, and she'd done a bit of growing herself (most prominently in the chest area). 

She cast her motherly worried glance around the kitchen, "I do hope no one is hurt. What was that noise we heard?"

Cy jerked a thumb in the green teen's direction, "B.B. just pulled an 'owl' without transforming first," he chuckled.

"Eee…" Robin winced.

"Don' worry," Cy shrugged, "It's all good – Rae fixed him…to an extent, anyway."

"My powers do have limits, I'm afraid," Raven said blandly, seating herself beside Beast Boy.

"Why do I get the feeling that everyone here is going out of their way to insult me?" Beast Boy asked, acting as though he were highly affronted, "Not cool guys, not cool."

Robin helped himself to cereal and sat down across from the trio. "This isn't going out of our way, B.B.," he said as he filled his bowl, "It all just comes naturally."

"Very true," Cyborg agreed, nodding his head. The changeling next to him just scowled, then picked up his half-empty cereal bowl and promptly unleashed its remaining contents on Robin's head. 

"_AUGH! _ Eww! What the hell??" Robin cried between coughs as beside him Starfire suppressed a laugh. 

Beast Boy said nothing, but grinned triumphantly as he left the room. Robin scowled as Starfire removed the bowl from his head, "I didn't even _start _it that time…"

* * *

Beast Boy hopped over the back of the couch and settled into the well-worn-in cushions, still feeling rather pleased with himself. Grabbing one of the Playstation III controllers and the TV remote, he settled in for a few victory laps on Death Track 20X6. Just as he was getting started, he felt someone approaching and glanced up, expecting Robin with a counterattack of some kind. But it was only Raven, a mug of coffee in one hand and her final bit of toast in the other. "Cereal over his head…" she said, "Not very original, but effective nonetheless." 

He grinned, "Admit it – you thought it was funny."

She finished her toast and climbed over the back of the couch, seating herself next to him. "Your antics are never funny – mildly and _annoyingly _amusing, perhaps – but never all-out funny."

"One of these days, one of these days…"

"What are you talking about?"

"One of these days I'm going to make you laugh, then you'll have to admit that you think my jokes are funny!"

"Don't hold your breath," she said, putting her mug to her lips, "If you haven't noticed in the five years we've lived together…I do not partake in amusement as often as I can help it."

"So… in other words, you like being boring?"

She nearly choked on her coffee. "I am _not_ boring!" she said, spatters of the Colombian brew all over her face.

With a loud detonation, Beast Boy's three dimensional racing vehicle exploded on the television screen and several dangerous-looking, black cars rushed through the ruins of his crushed automobile. The teen's face dropped with this sudden loss, but the expression on Raven's face mixed with the dripping coffee quickly improved his mood, "Raven, talking to you can be like talking to a wall. Even when you fight, there's never any emotion in what you do. I actually think it's a little sad, really." Beast Boy set down his controller and rested his chin in his hands, watching for signs of any sort of reaction.

Raven blinked a few times, then her lower lip trembled and the mug in her hands shattered, spraying coffee all over both of them. "I suppose you'd rather have _that_ all the time?" she asked him angrily, rising to her feet, fire in her dark eyes.

"Do things randomly explode when you smile? Or laugh? Would you even know?" he inquired, feigning ignorance to her anger.

Furious at him, and not wanting to admit that she didn't have a definite answer to his questions, she let out an angry growl and stormed out of the room, cheeks burning.

* * *

She didn't go to her room, but stomped her way straight up to the roof, where she flung herself against the door of the stairwell as soon as it closed behind her. _ 'Idiot…why does he have to go and say shit like that…?' _She pounded one fist against the door in frustration and then turned away from it, crossing to the very edge of the roof, standing on the ledge staring down at the ground so very far below her. **_'Not like you'd ever really jump,' _**said a haunting voice in her head.

It was true, but the high altitude always helped to clear her head when she got too angry. She'd lost count of how many times Beast Boy had sent her up here in a fiery rage. He always knew exactly the right times to hit her with a cold, harsh truth about herself that she didn't want to hear. Her shoulders slumped and she sat down, dangling her bare feet over the ledge. _'Why does he always get to me like that?' _

"Little early to be up here, isn't it?" came the voice of Robin from behind her, mature yet calm.

"That's tells you how quickly he gets under my skin," she said, glancing up at him slightly, "What're you doing up here anyway?"

"Just wondering why there was yet another fresh coffee stain on the couch. Cleaning that thing is a real pain, ya know," Robin sat down next to her, smiling slightly, "That, and to see if you were okay."

"Sorry about the coffee," she said, giving him a small smile, "And…thanks I guess…" There was a long moment of silence before she spoke up again, "Why can't he be as tolerable as you?"

"Because he's an animal, if you think about it. Every thought that pops in his head (a difficult concept to believe) goes right through to his mouth, like an instinct," he explained, leaning back on his palms, "Saying what's on his mind comes naturally, and it gives the rest of us good reason to want to punch him in the face."

"That's for sure…" she muttered, pulling one knee up closer to her chest, "Every time I think I've finally got myself figured out, he says something and…I'm back at the beginning again…Does he do that to you?"

"Every once in a while, usually when he's not too busy pouring cereal down my back."

Raven couldn't help it. She smiled.


	2. Chapter 2 Hitting the Showers

A Note from the Authors: Okay, sorry to those who wanted stuff to explode now - it can't happen. If it did, Raven would devote herself to emotional hermitage, thus being the cause of a really boring story. Also, I remember in the episode revolving around Cyborg's car, Rae smiled at the end and nothing exploded then. So that's the bit of fact I use to back up my choice of no explosions. 

This chapter is mostly Ra/BB, but don't worry Ro/SF fans, that will be coming as well! Enjoy! 

New Note: Again, the song stuff is gone. But other than that, not changes.

* * *

Chapter Two

"Hitting the Showers"

"There – you see?"

"See what?"

Robin tapped her cheek with his index finger. "You _can _smile, and nothing exploded," he explained, "Looks like B.B. was right after all…go figure."

"You were eavesdropping??" she said, giving him a hard shove.

"Hey, come on!" he laughed, "You two argue so loud the whole city can hear you!"

She frowned, and nodded, "You make a valid point…"

"Why don't you go back down and talk to him?" he suggested.

She bit her bottom lip, considering this, "Why? Did he seem affected when I left?" She could hardly imagine Beast Boy getting worked up over upsetting her, as it was a routine habit of his. 

"You're asking me to figure out Beat Boy?"

"I suppose it is a bit much to ask," she shrugged, then sighed, "Where is he now?"

"Starfire sent him off to the showers to wash off the coffee," Robin told her, "Knowing him though, he's probably just standing around letting the water run so she thinks he's actually washing."

"Typical," she shook her head, and then rose to her feet, heading back for the stairs.

"Where're you going?" Robin asked, jogging after her.

"To the showers," she said simply, giving him a challenging look, and then disappearing down the stairway back into the tower.

_'Oh boy…B.B.'s gonna have my head for this,' _Robin thought to himself with just a hint of a demonic grin, _'Then again, he **did **pour cereal down my back…'_

* * *

Steam filled the large bathroom that all three male members of the Titans shared. Beast Boy had considered not actually using the shower, but the coffee was sure to have some sort of strange effect on his naturally green hair, and he had begrudgingly obeyed Star's orders to clean himself. Now that he was standing under one of the showerheads, letting the hot water pour over his head and down his bare back, he found himself glad he had listened to her. The rhythmic pounding of the water fell in time with the beat of his heart and his animal instincts were aroused in a way he'd never noticed before. 

He titled his head back, letting the water hit his face and his imagination run wild. The jet of water was now pouring over a tropical cliff in a majestic Amazon waterfall. He could almost smell the jungle that was materializing in his mind. The soft song of wild birds reached his ears. This was a place where he could belong; such a contrast from the cold, metallic world he had lived in most of his life. Lost in his fantasy, he felt Raven's aura approaching and in his jungle world, she emerged from behind the waterfall, purple hair plastered flat and framing her face, water cascading over her head and onto her bare shoulders.

The color rose in his face as he reached out to touch her. But his hand hit a tile wall and he was rudely brought back to reality. He sighed, and then realized something peculiar. The presence of Raven's aura hadn't vanished with his daydream. She really was somewhere near. Puzzling over why she would be in the boy's wing to begin with, he shut off the shower, grabbed a towel and had barely gotten it around his waist when the door swung open. He looked up, expecting Robin to be there, coming to yell at him for wasting the hot water. But as the steam faded quickly away, he made out who was actually strolling into the room.

"R-Raven!" he stammered, nearly dropping his towel in surprise, face burning crimson, "W-what're you doing here?!"

She shrugged, "Robin said I should talk to you." She turned her eyes on him, looking him up and down, and he wished his mind was functioning enough to turn himself into a bug and drown in the last bits of water on the tile floor.

"Do we have to talk now?? Here??" he asked somewhat frantically.

"Don't you want to talk?" she asked, hiding her enjoyment at watching him squirm.

"Not at this particular moment!" But what kind of insect? Maybe a gnat… at least it would be hard to find a creature of such small stature.

"Fine…whatever," she said, turning to go with a slight sway to her hips that he'd never noticed before, "But I may not want to talk later…"

"Yes you will. You wouldn't have come in here if it wasn't important to you." Or a bee. Sting her and make a getaway…

She stopped and twisted around, their eyes locking. "Maybe…just get dressed quick – before I get tired of waiting," she told him. Then she strode out of the room, smirking to herself and silently, secretly wishing she'd gotten there a few seconds earlier.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief at her leaving, then let the towel go again. No need for that, not in solitude. An earful awaiting him outside, but coldness from the sudden change in temperatures here, Beast Boy drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly and began to search for his discarded garments.

* * * 

Raven slid down to the floor just outside the door, leaning back against the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her. She fingered the draw-strings on her pants absentmindedly, the image of the changeling in nothing but a towel still fresh in her mind. A few years ago, she would've chided herself for indulging in such impure pleasures, but as even she was human enough to develop a healthy set of hormones, she'd given into her less-than-characteristic thoughts, at least privately. 

With a crack, there was a sharp pain in the back of the teenager's head as the door finished a quick crash course with her skull. Beast Boy heard the startling noise and noticed a lack of opening from the door. The color drained from his freshly-washed face, as he realized what had most likely just happened. _ 'Definitely not my day…'_ The rushed transformation into a scarab beetle made him just small enough to fit through the remaining crack in the door, and the change back into his normal form was even more hurried. He knelt down next to Raven, who had her eyes closed and one hand rubbing the back of her head, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I couldn't see you down there!"

She blinked back a few small tears of pain and looked up at him. "No…it's my fault…I shouldn't have been sitting here…" She shut her eyes for one more second, inhaled sharply and concentrated. As the pain slowly dulled to a minimum, she opened them again. "That was quick…you getting out here, I mean."

"It doesn't take us guys half the time to get dry and changed as it does you girls."

"Apparently…but I hope you aren't joining me and Starfire into the same category as 'girls'," she said, "I fail to see many similarities between us…" she trailed off, glancing down at her own chest, which hadn't developed nearly as much as the Tamaran's.

Beast Boy pretended not to notice her intent (or stare), "Hey, maybe it's her species or something…" he was about to say something more, but quickly thought better of it. That last comment may not have hit off as well as he had hoped it would.

She sniffed, sticking her nose in the air, "Oh, who says I care anyway?"

"I don't know- hey, you were the one that brought it up!" he told her in frustration. This meaningless bantering was getting them further from what she had really wanted to talk about. It was times like this that he could usually depend on his sense of humor to lift the weight of the situation, but his funny was failing him. Not that anyone (especially Raven) ever appreciated his efforts in tense circumstances. Ever.

She rubbed the bump on the back of her head again. "Yeah…I know…sorry," she said quietly, "I must care, otherwise I shouldn't have said anything…" She folded her hands in her lap and said softly, "Guess I was just hoping that _you_ wouldn't care."

"Who says I care? I was just trying to make you feel better because it sounded liked you cared." Did he care? An interesting question, as his mental make-up mixed animal instincts with his otherwise human reason and prejudices. Most likely, his overanxious mouth spoke the truth for him.

_'Well, this conversation isn't going as planned…and I think I just let him in on something I really didn't want him to know. Too late to take it back now, anyway…' _"I can only imagine what a flake you must think I am," she said with a small smile, "Worrying about stuff like that…not very much like me, is it?"

"No, it's pretty different. But then again, I guess we're all changing somewhat, huh?"

She nodded, "And it's not all bad…up until a few minutes ago, I hadn't realized you'd gotten yourself a 'six-pack'," she added, jabbing a finger into his stomach, "Robin's had you on intense training for a while, huh?"

He grimaced, remembering all the late nights of training with the other two boys. Cyborg had it easy with his half-metallic body and Robin got never-ending energy and enthusiasm from God-knows-where, but work ethic for such things just never came to Best Boy, no matter what he tried. It just wasn't interesting. Thus, Robin's idea of getting him to like something was doing it long and often. Raven had noticed the improvements in his physique, so perhaps it wasn't all for nothing, "Yeah. The bird's a real nuisance at times."

"No argument there," she said. There was a short pause in which both of them could think of nothing else to say and just sat in awkward silence, neither looking at the other. Finally, Raven spoke up again, "This wasn't really what I came down here to talk about…sorry I spazzed at you earlier."

"It's alright," Beast Boy told her, smiling, "You just caught me at a bad moment. So, um… what did you wanna talk about?"

She swallowed harder than normal. _'Better get it over with' _she told herself and blurted out, "You were right about me."

"Huh?"

_'He's gonna make me explain it?? Damn him and his ignorance…' _Raven sighed and plowed onward, "That thing we were arguing about – you were right."

"We had an argument?"

She wrung her hands in frustration, "Yes – you thick-headed ape! I'm trying to apologize here!!"

Beast Boy winced, "You're doing a good job." He quickly transformed himself into a large gorilla, with which he made as sad a face as he could muster.

She frowned at him, "You're not making this any easier." Her expression softened and she turned her eyes to the floor, "I'm not used to this so just bear with me, okay? What you said this morning…about my being afraid to smile…you were right. But Robin proved your point and made me realize I had nothing to be afraid of. So…maybe I won't have to be such a wall anymore. There – I said it." She moved to stand.

He let her, back to normal form once again, "So, does this mean you'll laugh at my jokes?"

"No."

"Aww, man!"

"One step at a time, B.B." she told him as she headed off down the hall, leaving him in the corridor alone.


	3. Chapter 3 Girltalk, Guytalk, and the Bee

A Note from the Authors: Towards the end of this chapter, we've chosen to play off of the unnatural, heightened fear that everyone has of stinging, flying insects. If you yourself do not have this fear...you are very fortunate. Enjoy!

New Note: Now the song stuff was already gone, so no changes except for the title!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Girltalk, Guytalk, and The Bee"

As Robin made his way through the Tower towards Cyborg's garage, he crossed paths with Raven, who was headed in the direction of the girl's wing. He nodded at her and she gave him a small smile. He took that as a sign that things had not gone horribly wrong with Beast Boy. That was good news at least. But he was not in any hurry to run into the changeling, so he quickened his pace and slowed only just outside the doors to the garage. 

He entered the code on the lockpad and the double doors slide open. He sidled in, hands in the pockets of his jeans, "Cy! You in here?" 

A shower of sparks and a loud buzzing sound answered his question before the half-human half-robot pulled himself out from under what looked like a revamped Hummer in the center of the room. "Yo," he said, giving a quick salute, "Sup?"

"Not much," Robin shrugged, circling the car, "Expect B.B. to be in an…odd mood today."

"Huh? Why?" Cy asked, as he rummaged through his tool chest.

Robin tried to hide his grin. "I sent Rae to talk to him a little while ago."

"Wasn't B.B. sent to the showers a little while ago?" Cy said and then his expression changed as he realized what Robin had been getting at, "Oh man…" he chuckled, "How'd it go?"

"Not sure," Robin said, "Rae seemed pretty happy when I saw her just now."

Cyborg slid himself back under the car, "And I missed it all? Man, that would'a been great…wish I could'a seen his face."

"Me too," Robin agreed.

"You know he's gonna kill you, right?"

"Yeah."

There was a short pause in which both young men relished in their small (and odd) victory. Then the double doors slid open again and they both looked up, expecting a raging Beast Boy in any one of his numerous dangerous forms. But it was Starfire who entered the room, primped and polished and looking slightly bemused. It wasn't often she came down to the garage, so both men knew something was up.

"Hey Star," Robin said, "What brings you down here?"

"Raven was behaving strangely," she began.

"How so?" Cyborg asked.

"When I saw her just a few moments ago she was…singing without words…" she tried to explain. 

Robin's eyes widened behind the mask and Cyborg dropped the wrench he'd been holding. "She was _humming_??" they both said together.

"If that is the correct word…then yes" Star confirmed, "It was not music I recognized, but I believe it was music. It was most strange…she has never made this sort of sound before – perhaps she is sick?"

"Lovesick maybe," Cyborg murmured, sliding himself under the Hummer once again.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Star," Robin said, laying a hand on her arm, "It can't hurt her…but maybe you should ask her about it – just to be safe."

"I shall," she nodded, "and I will see you both later." She leaned forward, planted a kiss on Robin's cheek and left the room. The leader of the world's youngest band of super heroes leaned back against one of the other cars, grinning like an idiot.

From under the Hummer, Cyborg made a very convincing sound of a whip snapping against the ground.

* * *

Three sharp knocks on her bedroom door made Raven glance up from her meditative spot above the floor. She floated over to the door and opened it, coming face to face with Starfire, who was looking concerned. "Yes?"

"Raven, I would like to speak with you," Star began.

"What about?"

"Um…" the Tamaran hesitated, "You, actually."

The pale-skinned young woman let her legs unfold beneath her and her feet touched the floor. "I'm not sure I'd like that conversation," she said dully and moved to shut the door.

"Raven please!" Starfire reached out and grabbed hold of the door, keeping it from being shut, "I must speak with you – I am worried about you."

"Worried about me…?" Raven's expression changed to one of pleased puzzlement, "Why?"

"May I come in?"

"……Fine…" She held the door open and Starfire strode past her into the dark depths of her lair. She sat down on the bed and motioned for Raven to join her, which the Goth did slowly.

"You have…changed very much over the past few years," the orange-skinned teen began.

"So have you," Raven interjected, "So what?"

Star nodded. Rae always had a knack for trying to push a conversation away from a topic that displeased her. "What I mean…" she tried again, "Is that you have…developed things you have not had before…"

Raven grinned. This was too easy. "You're one to talk," she said, teasingly poking her friend in the bust, "You've been developing a hell of a lot more than me." She laid down on her back on the bed, her arm folded behind her head.

Starfire blushed, "That is not what I speak of!" she cried, slightly agitated.

"Then what do you speak of?" Raven asked, eyes glued to the ceiling.

"I think you know," Star replied, "And that is why you are behaving like you do not." When Raven did not reply, she sank to her level (literally) lowering herself onto her stomach beside her moody friend. "I am talking about things inside you, Rae. Not outside." Still no response. "I know you have been having feelings lately, even though you may try to hide it. I want you to know that it is much easier if you do not keep them inside a bottle…"

"Bottled up inside, Star."

"Yes, that."

"I don't know what feelings you think I have Star, but –"

"You do so!" Star said angrily, pushing herself back into a sitting position, "Everyone can see that there is something between you and Beast Boy – only the two of you are too stubborn to admit it. If you would only open yourself to him, he would do the same. You two have been playing games with each other for much too long."

Raven closed her eyes, cheeks burning. "And what if he doesn't, hmm? What then?"

"He will," Star said, the anger gone from her eyes, "And if he does not, I suppose you could always make his head explode." This sounded so strange coming from Starfire's lips that Raven had to bite her tongue to keep from bursting out laughing. Tears of mirth glittered in the corners of her still closed eyes and Star raised an eyebrow, confused. "Are you all right? Why do you cry? I was only trying to make you smile."

"I know," Raven said, wiping her eyes and then opened them, sitting up, "Thanks Star. I might get to like this laughing stuff if I'm not careful."

The alien girl beamed. "It would do you no harm. You do look so pretty when you smile," she said, then a tiny light bulb went off above her head and she added, "I believe that is the reason Beast Boy is always so eager to make you laugh."

Raven fell silent, running a hand over the small bump that still remained on the back of her skull. _'Never really thought about it that way before…' _she mused to herself. "Maybe," she muttered, pushing herself off of the bed, "Thanks for the chat, Star. Let's do it again sometime."

* * *

"I thought we made the 'Boy' and 'Girl' distinctions in the showers to avoid co-ed incidents, O fearless leader!"

Robin lifted his head out of the engine of a 52 Ford Mustang grease smears on his face and a wrench between his teeth. He took the wrench in one hand and grinned, "What kind of a show did she get?"

"None," Beast Boy replied, fuming, "We talked. That's it."

"You mean you actually didn't sing in the shower for the first time in five years?" came Cyborg's voice from under his prize Hummer, "Huh…miracles happen everyday…"

The green-skinned boy ignored him, "What was the big idea of pulling a stunt like that?! I attacked you with Cheerios! Girls are on a totally different level from that!"

"They were Frosted Cheerios." The voice from under the car started, the noise trickling upwards and into the ears of both young men.

"That's not the issue here! We're focusing on me, please!"

Robin turned back to his engine, "Come on – she asked me where you were. What was I supposed to tell her? I wasn't gonna lie to her. And I didn't actually _tell _her to go find you. She decided that on her own."

"I'd be kinda flattered if I were you, actually," Cyborg added.

"If you were me, you'd have equipment. And I'm not talkin' about that mechanical stuff you've got meshed into your flesh."

"Say **_what_**??" There was a loud _clang _as Cyborg attempted to sit up without pulling himself under the car first followed by a short string of curses and then he emerged, sparks of electricity shooting from the gears in his head.

"Whoa! Hey!" Robin cried quickly, ducking back out from under the hood of the Mustang, "This doesn't need to turn into one of _those _kind of fights, does it??"

Both of the teens glared at each other, distaste on their bitter mouths. Cyborg narrowed his mechanical eye, "Price for one low blow: one noogie."

Beast Boy tried to measure up to the over-sized android, failed, then shrugged, "Fine."

Robin slapped his forehead, embarrassed at the years-old ritual that was being partaken in by two of his oldest friends. One brief struggle and loud commotion later, he looked up once more from his work to the sight of all of Cyborg sans his feet back under his Hummer and Beast Boy with much tussled hair, "I believe you wanted to talk about yourself, lowly animal servant?"

"Yeah…I did," the changeling nodded, seating himself on the hood of a Cadillac that had yet to be repaired. He licked his palm and attempted to flatten his hair unsuccessfully. "Anyway…I'd like to thank you for what was by far _the _ most embarrassing moment of my life."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Noontime found Raven in the living room, buried behind a book entitled DOOM…the Inevitability, now dressed in black baggy jeans and an 'Evanescence' T-Shirt. Starfire was also on the couch, flipping through channels boredly with the remote, now wearing tight blue jeans and a purple tank top. "I do not understand why there are so many channels and yet such poor programming," she sighed.

"Cable _was _a bad move."

The sound of clanking footsteps approaching alerted them to Cyborg's presence and they both glanced up. He leaned between them, elbows on the back of the couch, grinning. "In celebration of the completion of the Hummer, the gentlemen of the garage would like to treat the ladies of the house to a feast of drive-thru take-out. How's that sound?"

Raven's voice drifted out from behind DOOM…the Inevitability, "In direct exasperation to the idiocy of the gentlemen of the garage, the ladies of the house would like to severely beat down the idea that cruising for several pointless hours and then getting take-out as payment for wasted time is good."

"I think that would be fun!" Starfire said excitedly, clapping her hands.

"It's settled then," Cyborg said, choosing not to engage in a verbal battle with Raven. He headed back towards the garage, with Star close on his heels.

With a heavy sigh, Raven set her book down on the coffee table and forced herself to follow after them. 

* * *

"Are we all ready back there?" Cy called from the driver's seat. 

"Yeah, I think so!" Beast Boy said cheerily, from his spot between Starfire and Raven.

"Let's get rollin' then," Robin said, reaching for the stereo from his shotgun position. Cy revved the engine as the garage door rolled open and in a matter of seconds, they were on their way to what was sure to be many pointless hours of cruising.

"I cannot believe I agreed to this," Raven muttered, putting her feet up against the back of Cyborg's seat.

"Aw, come on," Beast Boy placed one arm around her shoulders, "This'll be great…a little 'quality time', if you catch my drift."

"Beast Boy…" she said in a sickly sweet voice, turning so they were nose to nose.

"Yes…?"

"The hand…remove it – or lose it."

"Right, right!" His hands were instantly folded in his lap. 

"Let's keep the hostility to a minimum, please?" Cyborg requested, not moving his eyes from the road.

Raven said nothing, but only turned to stare out the window. Soon the only sounds were the low rumble of the engine and the low hum of the radio. Beast Boy leaned back against the seat, as a slow sense of claustrophobia crept over him. If he touched Raven again, it was sure to result in bodily harm, and the same went for Starfire, but the harm would come via Robin. 

He sighed, and glanced over at Raven. She'd rolled her window down and the warm summer air was blowing back her hair. Her expression was solemn as was typical, but he found himself wondering if there was a storm raging under the calm exterior. This was usually the case with Raven; she rarely let on to her inner thoughts, and when she did (he realized with slight surprise) it was usually by accident and in front of him. 

Unintentionally, he reached out towards her, wanting to touch her pale skin, run his fingers through her hair…just being so close to her was starting to drive him crazy. He drew his hand back quickly, catching himself before he got into more trouble and he sunk lower in his seat, sulking. 

* * *

Many pointless hours and three drive-thrus later, the teens were digesting in silence as the Hummer rolled along a road carved into the side of a mountain a good long way away from the tower. As Beast Boy drained the last of his milkshake and tossed the cup aside, his extra-sensitive ears picked up a new sound: a buzzing that could be nothing but natural. He scanned the car quickly, searching for the sound, but Starfire beat him to it.

She let out a shriek that made Cyborg nearly swerve off the road, and everyone was pushed by their own inertia towards the right side of the car.

"What the hell was that for??" he demanded, straightening out the car.

Star grabbed hold of Beast Boy's arm, pointing a trembling hand, "There is a horrible stinging-insect in the car!" He followed her gesture and spotted a wasp perched on the top of Robin's headrest. "Someone please! Get rid of it!"

Robin twisted around, "What are you–" he stopped short as he was at perfect eyelevel with the wasp. With a yelp, he tried to back away from it, but was caught by his seatbelt and flung back into his seat. It shook violently and the wasp took flight. Starfire let out another shriek and tried to push herself towards the left side of the car, sending Beast Boy straight into Raven.

Caught between him and the side door, Raven growled, "What did I tell you about touching me?"

"It's not my fault!" he protested. They were both distracted by the motion of Robin pulling a Batarang out of the glove compartment and began shouting at once.

"Don't use that thing in here!!"

"Why can't you guys leave the wasp alone??" 

"Will you all pipe down? I'm tryin' to drive here!"

"If I could just get a good shot at it…" Robin said, unhooking his seatbelt so that he could face the backseat properly.

"Just make it go away!" Star cried. 

"It won't hurt you if you don't provoke it!" Beast Boy said, "It's more scared of us than we are of it."

"I doubt it's more scared then Star is…" Raven muttered. 

Robin missed the wasp with his Batarang and it stuck in the backseat cushion between Star and Beast Boy's head. The wasp now was clearly agitated and confused, buzzing about the car as the mass of bodies continued to make their horrible loud noises. Attracted (most likely) to the bright colors of Star skin and hair, it turned towards her.

"No! No! Leave me alone!" she cried, eyes glowing bright green and energy blasts forming in each hand.

"STAR, DON'T!!!" Robin cried.

"What the hell is she doing?!?" Cyborg barked.

There was no stopping her. She let the energy blasts fly and fly they did – right past the wasp and out the front windshield! The car swerved hard and they all screamed as it careened straight through the metal fence and off the edge of the cliff they'd been driving along. In the backseat, Beast Boy and Star clung to each other, terrified, while Raven glowered at them both. At the last instant Cyborg switched gears to "AG" and the car stopped in midair, hovering a few feet above the ground.

Robin slipped off of the ceiling and back into his seat, looking dazed. He shook it off and glanced down at the dashboard. "AG?"

"Anti-gravity," Cyborg said, leaning against the steering wheel, looking relieved, "Just glad I remembered I installed it."

The car sputtered and coughed. Both Robin and Cyborg watched as the gas gage hit 'Empty' and the car fell the last few feet to the ground with a crash. Heartbeats heightened once again, the teens exchanged shaken looks while the wasp buzzed out of Raven's open window.


	4. Chapter 4 Sore Tempers and Unplanned Con...

A Note from the Authors: We'd like to thank everyone for their feedback! And for everyone who's been begging to get to "the good stuff"...here it comes!! Major Ra/BB at the end of this chapter and serious Ro/SF in the next installment! Enjoy! I've also been doing some very rough sketches of the chars @ the ages they are in the fic. As soon as I get them scanned and up on-line, I'll be providing the links! 

New Note: Again, only the title changed.

* * *

Chapter 4

"Sore Tempers and Unplanned Confessions"

"Why couldn't you go the last ten yards and put this thing in the garage for us too?" Robin groaned as he, Beast Boy and Cyborg begrudgingly pushed the Hummer up the long driveway into the garage outside the 'T' tower.

"Seeing it was neither my fault we crashed, nor my idea to go on that pointless drive in the first place, you should be grateful that I didn't make you push the car all the way back here," Raven said, arms folded across her chest as she and Starfire followed the boys.

"Yeah…but since you were charitable enough to get it all the way to here, what's the point of not seeing it all the way through?" Beast Boy asked, shooting an annoyed look at Cyborg. This was all his fault, but still…

The Goth smirked, "Maybe just because I get such a nice view from where I'm standing…"

"Raven, I never knew ya cared," Cyborg spoke up, grinning at Beast Boy.

The changeling growled low in his throat, while Robin snickered.

Raven seemed a bit taken aback at first, but then smiled. "You caught me, Cy," she said, "The secret's out. Oh no."

"I knew it all along," Cyborg told her, swiveling his head to look back at her. He winked with his good eye, "We should really be more open with each other about such things."

"Maybe we can discuss that tonight," she told him teasingly.

"Um…Cy," Robin cut in suddenly, "Maybe you'd better…um…stop now…"

"But Raven's confessed her feeling for me," Cyborg protested, still running with this act, "I can't ignore that, man. What do you take me for? Some sort of insensitive guy?"

"Um, I'm thinkin' more of a dead guy…" Robin said, nodding towards Beast Boy, who was breathing heavily, his pointed ears sprouting fur and his teeth growing substantially.

"Aww…" The android turned around again, smiling, "Look honey, a dog for our family!"

That was the last straw for Beast Boy. He completed his transformation into a pure-blood wolverine and lunged at Cyborg, teeth and claws bared. He hit the android square on the chest and they hit up against the back of the Hummer. "No!" Cyborg shouted, panicked, "No fightin' on my baby! She's been through enough today!" Grabbing the animal by the scruff of the neck he flung it off into the front yard and turned to the others. "Ok, who wants to handle this?" They all silently pointed at him. "Aww man…" he groaned, "Oh all right, but I advise those of weak constitutions to go inside. This ain't gonna be pretty."

* * *

"How'd a bee get in my baby anyway?" Cyborg grumbled, a small spark of electricity in a tear that went several inches down his back causing his left arm to spazz wildly.

Robin hurriedly tended to the sparks and Cyborg's arm fell limp at his side. "Raven opened her window," he said, rummaging through the special tool kit they reserved for work on the android only.

"Hey, I was hot, okay?" Raven said, applying Bactine to a large scrape on Beast Boy's cheek. On the changeling's other side, Starfire was silently bandaging a cut down his forearm.

"So guys," Robin said, looking up from his work for a moment, "After we brutally pound each other, what do we say?" When speaking to those of low maturity and sore tempers, a reprimanding voice like that of a scolding teacher is usually best.

"_He_ started it!!" both combatants said, pointing at each other.

"No…" 

"Drop dead."

"Screw yourself!"

"_Nooooo…_"

Beast Boy turned his head, bringing his hand up to his still sore mouth as if to attempt to wipe away some of the dried blood around it, "Sorry…"

Cyborg stuck his nose in the air, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Annoyed, Robin poked Cyborg with an extra-thin screw driver. "Ow! Okay, okay…Sorry…"

"I'll never understand men…" Raven muttered, "I mean what brought that on anyway?" She moved Beast Boy's hand away from his face so she could place a band-aid over his scrape.

"I was just kiddin' around, but apparently Mr. Tell-A-Joke-At-Every-Opportunity can't take what he hands out."

Robin poked his large friend again, "Let's keep the verbal abuse to a minimum, please. It makes it hard to concentrate."

"Just answerin' a question."

Beast Boy growled low in his throat, but received a smack upside the head from Starfire in response, "No more mean threatening animal noises!"

He blushed and fell silent. 

Robin picked up Cyborg's detached right arm and began easing it back into place.

"Man, I _hate _dislocated joints…" Cyborg complained.

"You talk about _me_ crackin' the bad ones…"

"Just hold still…" Robin told him, pulling out the hand-held welder.

Raven wiped the anti-septic from her hands onto her jeans carelessly. "Did we get everything?" she asked Beast Boy.

His face turned a slightly deeper shade of crimson than before and he simply nodded. The reason for the recent brawl with Cyborg was actually quite embarrassing, but at least no one seemed to care about that as of late.

"All right good," she said, shutting the first-aid kit. She handed it to Star who took it back to the main level bathroom. Once she was gone, Raven leaned closer to Beast Boy, speaking softly, "I don't think I've ever seen you lose it before…was this…my fault…?" 

He gulped, tugging at his slightly-frayed T-shirt collar, "Ah…that… well, erm… it was kinda- it was just- maybe," the changeling finished, one hand behind his head.

Her expression softened, and she reached out and put one hand over his. "You wanna…um…go talk somewhere else…?"

"Uh…um…sure."

She got to her feet and headed out of the living room, not glancing back at him. A few seconds after she had gone, he rose (as inconspicuously as he could manage) and left through the same door. As soon as he was out in the corridor, he felt someone grab his arm and found Raven backed up against the wall, grinning at him. She put a finger to her lips and then led him by the hand up to the roof.

* * *

"That should do it, Cy," Robin said, shutting the tool kit, "You can run a scan on yourself to make sure I didn't miss anything."

He closed his eyes, the self-diagnostic of his cybernetic body running through his mind at amazing speed, "Nope, nuthin'. Thanks, bird." The android hopped up off of the table and walked towards the door, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see my baby about a windshield."

Robin waved him off, "Good luck." Footsteps behind him made him turn, and he watched as Starfire reentered the room. "Hey Star," he said, crossing the room to meet her halfway, "You've been awfully quiet this evening – is something wrong?"

She blushed, clasping and unclasping her hands nervously, "I cannot help feel responsible for all of this…" she said slowly.

"What are you taking about?"

"It is because of me that we went off that cliff," she started, "And if that had not happen, then maybe –"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Robin put a hand to her mouth to quiet her, "You can't beat yourself up too badly about that. The whole day could've gone smoother, but I don't think it ended all that bad…"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you notice the lack of Raven and Beast Boy in the room?"

Starfire looked around quickly and then brightened considerably, "Oh…I see! Where do you suppose they have gone?"

"Somewhere I don't wanna look for them," he told her, "So let's not worry about it for now. Wanna see what sort of dinner we've got in the kitchen?"

"I would like that very much," she nodded, linking her arm in his.

"Okay then, let's shall," It was only when they arrived at the kitchen that both remembered that neither of them was proficient in the art of cooking. This option being gone, both implored the lesser art of microwaving and 5½ minutes later, sat down together to enjoy their TV dinners.

* * *

The sun was just going down as Raven pushed open the door leading out onto the roof. The heat of the afternoon was receding slightly with the approach of twilight and she was grateful. She released Beast Boy's hand and gestured towards the sunset, "Strange how something so common can be so beautiful."

"Yeah." He wasn't really thinking about the closest star to Planet Earth at this moment, but it was pretty.

"Do you have any idea how many times I've run up here because of you?" she asked, turning back to him, the fading light causing her to appear almost as a silhouette to him.

The changeling scratched his head, "Maybe once or twice…"

"So many I've lost count," she corrected him, "Didn't realize you drove me that nuts, did you?"

"Naw, but I did notice that you liked to lose arguments to me," he told her, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Lose??" she said, fire blazing in her eyes and then dying just a quickly, "Maybe I just _ let _you win out of pity."

"I doubt that," he knew he was pressing his luck, but was willing to take that risk. For sport, more than anything.

"What? You think I don't pity you?" she asked him, turning away and taking a seat on the edge of the building, nearly in the same spot she'd been that very morning.

"I think that you think that you pity me, when in fact," he paused, leaning down close to Raven's ear, "You're arguing with me to avoid your real feelings for me."

She kept her eyes forward, towards the red horizon. "How do _you_ know what my feelings are?"

"I have a hunch, but it'd be easier if you'd tell me." Truthful words, but did he deserve the reply he wished for? Technically, he had never really told Raven how he felt about _her_…

She swallowed, feeling the blood rush to her pale cheeks. Brushing her bangs out of her face, she considered her response quickly. Starfire's words echoed in her mind, _If you would only open yourself to him, he would do the same. You two have been playing games with each other for much too long._She looked up at him suddenly, years of hidden vulnerability now written plainly across her face. "I…I want to tell you…" she said in a voice barely above a whisper, "But I'm…not sure I know how…"

Beast Boy leaned down and placed one hand on her chin. It was an unfamiliar movement, but centuries of finely-honed genetic instinct were on his side. It was an interesting experience, that first kiss, whether she was expecting it or not. At least he had not yet been flung off the top of the tower. Scant seconds later the animal-hybrid pulled back, her exhilarating taste still fresh upon his lips, "I think I know what you mean."

She smiled and, for the first time in her life, a few tears rolled down her cheeks. As a dam within her heart slowly crumbled, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, rubbing her nose against his in a fashion that was sure to arouse some familiarity in his animalistic-subconscious. "I think you stole my words just then," she said softly, "If you don't mind, I'd like them back." She pressed her lips against his and then whispered, "I love you…"

"I know."


	5. Chapter 5 The Next Step Payback

A Note from the Authors: We've gotten to the Robin/Starfire stuff! Be happy. Oh and, this chapter is the reason for all of the changes. You'll see what we mean at the end.

* * *

Chapter 5

"The Next Step - Payback"

Starfire sighed as she stared at Robin over their near-finished dinners, resting her chin in her hands. Despite the somewhat less-than-perfect events of the day, spending time with him never failed to lift her spirits. 

"Hey Star, anything I can do for you?" Robin asked, one eyebrow raised. She had been staring at him for the last five minutes, after all. Not that the attention was bad or anything, but it got a little awkward. 

Star blushed at getting caught, "I am sorry…am I bothering you?" She rose from her seat, taking her tray to the trash-disposal.

"No, not really. I was just wondering what's on your mind." Sorry? Hah, that was a good one…

"You, mostly."

"Really?"

"Yes," she nodded, pulling another soda out of the fridge and then retaking her seat, "That is what is often on my mind lately."

"How come?" It was an ignorant question, but the easiest way to clear up some matters that had been on his mind lately. 

She gazed at him imploringly, "Do you really not know?" She was sure they had been through this sort of discussion before, but perhaps Earth males were thicker than she had originally thought.

"Well, alright, I'll give you that one. I have a pretty good idea as to why I've been on your mind lately." Give a little, get a little.

"Perhaps I can clarify," she began, snapping open the soda can, "We have been…how did you put it…? …going steady…for a while now. And I was simply wondering when we will get to the place we have been 'going' to…"

His eyes widened. My, how the years change people, "You do know what that place is, right?" Now _this_ was a gauche subject indeed.

"Yes, Robin," she nodded, showing no signs of embarrassment, "That is one thing our races most definitely have in common. I have just been waiting for you to be ready…"

"How long have you been ready?" He was beginning to feel a little like Bruce… never a good sign.

"For about a year, I suppose," she said.

There were several approaches he could take to this issue, "So…when?" The direct approach was probably the worst of his options. And he chose it willingly. Damn.

"I'm willing to wait for you," she told him, "I do not want to pressure you into something you are not ready for. I love you, Robin. I do not want you to resent me. I will let you decide the 'when'."

She wanted to wait for him, let him decide. In times like this, the old acronym WWBD came to mind (What would Bruce Do?). It had been a joke between him and Barbara, but now Robin knew exactly what Bruce would do. Was he ready? Was he willing to take the next step? Hell yes, yes he was, "What about tonight? Is that too soon?"

She smiled, but it wasn't her usual perky smile. This one was much more alluring, much more seductive. "I was hoping you would feel that way," she said, rising from her seat again and holding out her hand to him, "Come up to my room with me?"

Robin took her hand, gazing up at her beautiful, mature face, "Sure."

* * *

"I do not think you have ever seen my room before," Star said as she pushed open her door and entered, holding it for him, "What do you think?" Her room, like all of their others, was much larger inside than it appeared. The walls were plain white and in place of a bed she had what looked like a nest built of velvet pillows and satin sheets and surrounded by 70s stringed beads. Small orbs of gold floated slowly around the room, brightening themselves as she strode further into their midst. Her other furniture was made of an iridescent metal that changed colors at various intervals of time.

"It's very umm… different. But that's in a good way!" Robin began to wave his hands in front of himself frantically whilst speaking this last sentence. He had gotten this far already, why'd he have to go and say something like that?? Knowing his luck, comments like that could also make this the _last_ time he saw her room.

But Star just smiled, "Raven said that too…Don't worry though, the Tameran adult bed was designed specifically for couples. I don't know myself…but I have heard that it aids one's performance."

_'One's performance? It's like being tested or something…like a new car. Like that doesn't pack the pressure on…'_ "That's, ah… good to hear…"

"Not that you'll need it, I'm sure," she laughed, taking his hands in hers.

_'That makes one of us.'_ "Interesting chair," he said, trying to change the subject temporarily as he was now unable to fidget with his hands, "How many different colors can it be?"

"All the colors of the rainbow…" she said, then drew him closer to her, "Robin…are you nervous?"

Yes. Of course he was. Why wasn't she? "Nervous? Me?" he asked, putting one hand on his chest, "What do I have to be nervous about?"

She shrugged, "I would think the loss of your innocence would be something. This is a very important moment…for both of us…There is no shame in being nervous. I assure you I am."

Good, "You're sure good at hiding it."

She blushed, "I have been thinking about this longer than you have…I suppose I have rehearsed it in my dreams, so it does not seem so unfamiliar." She leaned forward and kissed him gently, "Are you ready to live my dreams with me?"

Under normal circumstances, that would have sounded so very dirty. But now… "I am."

"And I am glad," she said, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him through the string beads into her nest. As the two of them sank into the pillows and Starfire pressed her lips to his once again, Robin thought with a bit of satisfaction, _'If Bruce could see me now…'_

* * *

The sun was completely gone now, but neither of the pair still on the roof was much concerned with that at the moment. Beast Boy was on his back, with Raven leaning over him, their arms around each other, their lips locked. At last she broke away for air and smiled down at him. "This is real…right…?"

"Sure felt like it. Maybe one more would confirm the truth…or two…"

She hung her head, letting it fall on his chest and she laughed softly, "_You_…"

"Me? Or _you?_" 

Her whole body shook as she tried to hold the laughter in. "I swore to myself…so many times…I would never give you the satisfaction of letting you know I thought you were funny…" she said, raising her head again, "Guess I lost that battle, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Don't tell the guys."

"If you insist, but it was a victory none the less."

She sighed and laid down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, one hand tracing his chest muscles through his T-Shirt. "Speaking of the guys…how are we going to explain this to them? They've been breathing down our necks about this for so long…I don't think I could stand to listen to them gloat about being right…"

"Just do what you usually do: glare daggers at them, then mutter something under you breath about the idiocy of the universe. We don't have to tell them yet, and that's been working for you for years."

She punched his arm lightly and then rolled over on top of him, kissing him hard. "You think you'll be able to handle a secret relationship for now??"

"Hey, it's me!" he told her, raising his eyebrows at her, "I can handle anything."

"Let's hope so."

* * *

Miles away, in Gotham City, Pamela Isley pulled the collar of her rain coat up higher around her face. It had been too long since she'd walked the streets of Gotham, and it hadn't improved much during her most recent stay in Arkham Asylum. She was currently standing at the front door of the Iceberg Lounge, the last place anyone would look for her. Never before had she thought to approach the bird man, but in the pocket of her coat she had something that she was sure to catch him with. The only difficulty would be getting to him. The direct approach had always worked for her before, so why should this time be any different. 

She stepped inside, refused to let the doorman take her coat and told him, "I need to speak with Oswald. You will take me to him, won't you?" 

She planted a kiss on the man's lips and he nodded, "Right away, miss."

_'Hypnotic lipstick…' _she thought to herself with a smirk, _'never leave Arkham without it…'_

* * *

Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot picked up yet another finance report from his dusty, cluttered desk and sighed. He adjusted the monocle that covered his right eye, unable to believe the figures in damages in front of him. The entire "Batwoman" fiasco had led him from one disaster to another. The dollars were piling up quicker than they used to, with the repairs to his nightclub still ongoing, the cruise liner owner breathing down his neck, the city officials wanting more than he could surrender to stay away from Gotham City's Stonegate Prison, and the Kaznian threats for compensation. 

_'At least Bane never turned up. One less thing to pay for, after all.'_ Things were certainly going downhill for Gotham's richest (still!) criminal. Investment was a refined art, one that the Penguin had thankfully learned and mastered years ago. It was quite possibly the only thing that would keep him afloat until the criminal mastermind could regroup from his losses. Somehow…

His thoughts were interrupted with a knock on the door of his office. "What now?" he groaned. The door opened and a female figure in a dark brown trench coat stepped inside. She lowered the collar and her bright red hair spilled out over her shoulders.

"Long time no see, Ozzie," she said, a teasing smile on her lips and in her deep green eyes, "How _have _you been?"

Penguin snorted, "Better, but I doubt that's any of your business. How has that charming rehabilitation center been these past months, Ivy?" He fingered the Umbrella at his feet under the desk, debating in his head whether or not he might actually need it.

"Dismal, as usual," she said, running a hand through her hair, "But now that I'm free again, I thought I'd stretch out my roots and see what sort of business I could find." 

"You'll excuse me if I'm not tempted by such a _gracious _offer, but I have several matters of my own already occupying my time." Oswald stood up, placing his black top hat back upon his head and placed the parasol atop his desk.

"Oh, I've heard all about that, Ozzie," she said, seating herself on top of his desk, placing one hand over his umbrella, "That's why I'm here. You see, I have a plan to make us both a bit richer, but I've never been much of a business coordinator myself. I need someone with a little more finesse in the financial world."

"Go on," though the portly figure's words were casual, his eyes focused down on the umbrella trapped beneath Poison Ivy's right hand before looking at the woman's own green eyes.

She reached into the pocket of her trench coat with her left hand and pulled out a small plastic vile filled with a glowing green liquid. "Want to know what this is?" she asked, and then continued on before he could object, "It's a serum I developed after countless hours of experimenting behind the walls of Arkham. The ridiculous fools thought I was simply keeping myself occupied raising plants. Not that that wasn't the excuse I gave them, of course…Curious as to what it does?"

"Not especially, but I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter do I?" Penguin took a step backward, reaching for the wooden chair behind him that was placed against the wall. He sat down, eying the bottle suspiciously. Knowing Ivy, no good would come from such an object. Not that that couldn't be profitable in its own way…

"It's a special mix of chemicals that, when injected into a human being, shuts off everything but the very basic survival instincts," she said, twirling the vile in her fingers playfully, "and heightens the strength of the amygdala, which is the piece of the brain connected with detection of predators. Ever been to a dog fight, Ozzie?"

He chuckled a little, "I have associates and colleges that like me to place bets on such things for them from time to time (for a fee, of course) but I rarely partake in such events myself," The Penguin raised an eyebrow curiously, "Have you?"

"No, actually," she admitted, "Personally, I think it's a rather cruel thing to do to animals, but as I prefer plants over people anyway, I never really gave it much thought…until a few months ago." She crossed one leg over the other and continued, "I got a hold of a newspaper and couldn't believe what a fortune people waste gambling on such things, and then there was this lovely editorial that posed the question 'Where will it stop? First dogs, then what? Humans?' And that got me to thinking…"

So the rumors of a bust were true, "I hardly believe that to be a sign of good fortune for either of us."

She frowned and ignored him, "I have reason to believe that there are enough sick, twisted people in this city that would pay good money to see an uncontrolled fight between men to make us both very rich," she told him, "It'll be the gladiators all over again, but with less honor and nobility bullshit. And this," she held out the vile, "is all we'd need to set it in motion."

Cobblepot nervously adjusted his already-comfortable monocle again, "This entire city is nothing but sick, twisted individuals. How long does it last?"

"That's the problem," she sighed, "I haven't gotten to test it yet. There was no way to do it without getting caught while still in Arkham. According to my data, the serum should run its course after about two-weeks, so much more of it would have to be produced, but that won't be a problem." She pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket, "I've got the formula here, and here," she pointed to her own head.

"How will producing such a potentially, shall we say, _risky_ substance in large quantities not be a problem?" Penguin grinned, imagining the scenario in his head. This was beginning to get interesting, but a business man had to go into a partnership with full knowledge of the other's facilities.

"Surely you've got enough money left to buy me a small greenhouse," she said, lying on her back across the desk, staring up at him, "That's all I'd need…and of course the arena to hold our little show. You can manage that much, can't you Pengy?

"Then I trust you'll compensate me for my expenses."

"We'd spilt the profits, naturally," she said, "Fifty-fifty sounds fair, doesn't it?"

"Fifty-fifty?" The criminal mastermind chuckled, "Tut-tut, Ms. Isley. That would be fair, if you were to front fifty percent of the fees for purchasing your buildings. But, since you are not, I believe seventy-five percent of the profits will go to me, and you'll receive your plants, your greenhouse to store them, and the other twenty-five percent." Penguin ticked off the items that Poison Ivy would receive on his fingers, smiling broadly.

Ivy frowned and rolled over onto her stomach, "Sixty-forty."

"Seventy-thirty."

"Fine." She held out her hand towards him.

Penguin accepted her hand, then leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin, "So… you've never tested it before, you say?" Just with a single glance, one could practically see the wheels inside the Penguin's head turning rapidly.

"No, I haven't," she said, resting her chin in her hands, "Do you have someone in mind to be the first test subject?" she asked, grinning.

"I should very much like the Bat to be the first victim, I daresay," the man shook his head slowly, "But such a task would prove rather difficult, and it seems a bit uncouth anyways." He leaned forward, looking Ivy in the eye, "The Batman's protégé has taken it upon himself to spread justice into a city of his own as of late. Tell me, Ms. Isley: What would be better qualifications for a test subject than a healthy, teenage male?"

"I can't think of anything better," she said, smiling broadly, "To drive a bat insane…Oswald, your genius never ceases to astound me."

Cobblepot just smiled.

* * *

The Authors speak again: So behold we introduce the villains of this story! Basically, we don't really like any of the TT villains (except for maybe Slade) and have decided that some dimension-splicing needed to be done. All the background stuff about the Penguin comes from the "Batwoman" movie. Yes we know that young Robin was in the "Batwoman" movie, but his part was so small that it could have been omitted and the plot wouldn't have been effected at all, so for our purposes, he just wasn't there. 


	6. Chapter 6 A Step Behind the Game

A Note from the Authors: This new chapter's longer than the others have been, which sort of explains the delay between updates! Sorry! Enjoy! 

* * *

Chapter 6

"A Step Behind the Game"

The leader of the Teen Titans blinked slowly, trying to regain his bearings. It took a moment to sink in, but one flick of the eyes told him last night had indeed happened. And judging from the smile on Starfire's sleeping face, it had happened well. Robin whistled a bit to himself, attempting in vain to recall every pleasurable second of the evening. He wondered vaguely if he should perhaps dress and go, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the others, but his body told him leaving right now would not be a smart thing to do. And the body does know its needs…

The sun was slowly pouring through the window, or maybe the glowing orbs were waking up as well…either way the room was brightening and Star was stirring. Before fully awakening, she reached out and her hand landed on his arm. Her pretty green eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him, "You are still here," she said, sliding closer to him and kissing his cheek, "I am glad…did you sleep well?"

"You could say that."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and hugged him. "You had better leave soon…the others will probably not understand…"

Robin nodded and got up to search for his clothing. Normally he would have felt very awkward doing this in front of Star, but considering the circumstances they both now faced, it was alright with him. It took him less than a minute to gather his things up and get changed rather sloppily, "Maybe I'll see you again tonight," he told her, smiling. Robin slowly walked over to where Starfire had been watching him and leaned down, gently kissing her on the lips, "Don't forget to come down and eat breakfast soon."

"I will join you shortly," she said, getting to her feet, a sheet wrapped loosely around her, "after I take a shower. Try not to miss me."

"Might be hard…"

"Than I will have to be extra fast," she said, kissing him once more and then nudging him towards the door, "Now go on! And remember…" she pretended to zip her lips shut, and then winked.

He gave her the 'thumbs-up' sign and depart, hands now in his pockets. Today was going to be a good day…

* * *

The morning was awkward to say the least, seeing as four out of the five Titans were now involved in "secret" relationships, but had never been very good at being subtle. Robin and Starfire were flirtier that ever, touching each other "accidentally" at every possible opportunity. Beast Boy was acting almost too calm, and had even adopted a sort of suave-secret-agent-type attitude that had to be a worse give-away than anything else. Even Raven found herself slipping now and then and smiling in plain sight (after which she would of course deny it and glower menacingly and mutter about the idiocy of the universe, among other things). Cyborg, at his wits end at having to endure all the ridiculousness, retreated to his garage before lunch, claiming his cars were a better source of intelligent conversation than the other members of his team ("What'd he mean, 'his' team?" Robin asked indignantly).

* * *

Evening dawned on the city casually and quietly, just as every other day had. A shady looking character was leaning against one of the street walls downtown, slowly puffing on a cigarette. The man nervously looked down at his stolen Rolex, keeping close track of the time. Hitachi Corp would be closing soon. In five minutes and 37- no, 36 seconds to be exact. He was a well-built, courageous man, but this mission would be difficult. A cold wind whipped down the worn walkway, causing the man to pull his knitted hat back over his reddening ears. He sighed, then threw his cigarette down and squashed it flat. The door a block down wasn't hard to reach. Unlike the expensive, well kept building he and his men were going to hit in a short while, this edifice wasn't a pretty sight for the eyes.

The woman waiting for him at a musty table in the center of the room, surrounded by her homegrown plants, certainly was, especially after hours of getting a stiff back against that rough brick wall. He took another few steps forward, not wanting to get to close. Too many rumors floated around this one, "Ms. Ivy?" he inquired, hoping that he wasn't interrupting anything, "It's just about closing time, ma'am."

Poison Ivy looked up from her plants and smiled. "Excellent. Is everyone in position?" she asked. Working with a multitude of people was not her style, but at the moment, she was happy to let Penguin do the organizing. She's never worked with anyone but Harley Quinn before, and it was an interesting thing to sit back and watch for a change. 

The thug nodded, "An' those black orb-things the Penguin wanted stashed around are all in the spots he said." He wasn't sure what the strange devices had been when they were delivered (and still wasn't), but in this work it was usually best not to ask too many questions.

"Perfect," she said, rising from her seat, and picking a flip-up cell-phone up off the table and hit a speed dial button, "We're on in five, Penguin. Everything's set. Where are you?" she spoke into it.

"In my personal helicopter," came the bird man's stuffy reply, though it was somewhat muffled by the sound of the aircraft's spinning blades, "Should you manage to pull this off, Ivy, you can consider our partnership a done deal." He adjusted his top hat atop his cranium, seated in moderate comfort in the back seat of the vehicle. The way his luck had been going as of late, Cobblepot wasn't getting his hopes up any further than need be for this operation.

"I'll expect you to pick me up after I've acquired my charge," she said, "See you then." She hung up the phone and put it in a small black bag also on the table. "Let's go." Slinging the bag over one shoulder, she sashayed passed the thug towards the door.

* * *

Starfire stopped just outside the training room that evening, lingering in the doorway, watching Robin grapple with the training bots (a gift from the Justice League after a team-up about a year ago). He looked so handsome and raw, his T-shirt sticking to his chest with perspiration, each hand wrapped in tape that was fraying at the edged. She sighed, leaning against the doorframe, so happy that he loved her. 

As the last robot fell and the repair-bot floated out to rebuild them, she clapped loudly. "Very nice," she said, "You're time is improving greatly."

Robin wiped sweat from his brow, smiling. It was a habit that seemed hard to break now for some reason, "Thanks."

"I have come to let you know that Cyborg has ordered pizza and he says it will be arriving soon," she recited, "and that we are invited to join him in eating it if we can act like normal beings. Do you think we can manage that?" she finished jokingly.

"Might be hard…will Beast Boy be there?"

"I think he is invited, yes," she nodded, grinning.

"Then I guess Cyborg'll be awful disappointed," Robin told her, walking over and kissing her gently on the lips.

She took his hand, "Perhaps we could try anyway?"

He opened his mouth to reply that it seemed pretty pointless, but at that moment the Titan's alarm sounded, blaring loudly through the entire tower. Instantly the pair ran for the partitioned costume room next to the garage, where they found Raven and Beast Boy already suiting up.

"Does anyone here have any idea what this is about?" Robin asked, tying his mask onto his head, making his eyes appear as if completely white.

"Or why some ass decided to interrupt Pizza Night?" Cyborg said, sauntering gloomily into the room.

"It's a report of a break-in at the Hitachi Chemical Plant down town," Raven said, fastening her cloak around her shoulders.

"It's about time we got a call," Beast Boy said, pulling his boots on, "Thing's have been gettin' too boring around here."

"You'd rather there be crime than peace?" Robin asked, looking over at his changeling friend. Sometimes things got out too out of proportion in the 'hero' mentality. Though it always made him nervous, Batman always told Robin to appreciate the peace times. The people were what was most important, so when they were able to know that they had a safe place to live and raise their children, a hero knew he was doing his job. Even in peace times.

"Well…when you put it that way…" Beast Boy said embarrassedly.

"Maybe you should learn when to think before you open your mouth," Raven told him, coming over into the boy's section, "Now let's get going."

"Yes," Starfire said, "Let us hope that this can be settled quickly and without much violence."

"Ohhhh, if some jerk decided that Pizza Night was a good night to break into a chemical plant, you better believe there's gonna be some violence!" Cyborg said angrily.

In a matter of seconds, the garage door slid open and the T-Car took off down the driveway, as the Titans rushed to the scene of crime.

* * *

"Careful with the goods, boys," Ivy said into her cell phone, reminding the men that were loading down a truck with crate after crate of chemicals, while she watched from the shadows across the street. A roar of engines made her turn and she smiled at the approaching headlights. _'Right on schedule,' _she thought, then said into the phone, "They're here. Get ready – and remember the plan."

"Of course, Ms. Ivy," came a gruff voice back over the line. She hung up the phone and placed it back in her bag, stepping back further into the shadows.

The headlights of the T-Car brightened as it approached the illegal operation. Several of the men tried to ignore this new development, some shielded their eyes, and the rest all began to pull out their guns.

The car stopped in the middle of the road, creating a blockade of its own, as the five teens leapt out, with Robin in the lead. "Alright, whatever you're planning stops right here," he told the thugs, as the team got into battle formation.

The man with the cell phone in his hand quickly shoved it into the pocket of his coat, then turned to face the group of do-gooders, "Go home, kids. No one has to get hurt here, but there's always that chance." He motioned softly to the muscles behind him, all of which raised their pistols towards the Teen Titans.

Cyborg grinned demonically, "Yeah, somebody's gonna get hurt, but it ain't gonna be us!"

"Titans – go!" Robin cried and they all ran forward.

The henchmen they were running towards opened fire, bullets polluting the area like a poison. The leader of the Teen Titans felt a great push of powerful air rush past him, and looked down to find a slight tear in his sleeve. These guys weren't kidding around. With a mighty leap, he cleared the 'commander' of this outfit and delivered a roundhouse kick to the man trying to load carts behind him. The crate toppled out of the unconscious man's hands, landing hard on the ground. Though the tough wooden box didn't break, it was obvious by the sound of shattering glass that the contents had. He took a step backwards, away from a putrid smelling green liquid that was slowly advancing from the container.

"Robin! Duck!" came Cyborg's voice behind him and he did so, just as two thugs sailed over his head and into the back of the trailer. 

"Nice one, Cy," Robin said, and then ran off to stop the few men who were still attempting to load the truck.

A short distance away, Raven was absorbing a hail of bullets with black energy, letting them fall harmlessly to the ground. Once her set of attackers were out of ammo, she dropped the spell and flew at them. With a spin-kick, she took out the first two and then engaged the second pair in a quick-paced hand-to-hand bout. She caught one pair of fists, only to be struck in the side of the head by another. Furious at herself for getting hit, she wrapped her hands around the first man's wrists, lifted him up and flung him into the second man, sending them both careening off into the green mist that was strangely rising around them all. "What is that stuff…?" she asked, lashing out and kicking another thug as he came at her.

"Got me," Beast Boy told her. He waited and watched as one of the men came running at him, _'I love this part.'_ With a snap, he transformed himself into a Grizzly Bear, and stared down at the man, who slowed his approach in fear. Beast Boy roared loudly, sending the man scampering away towards the few remaining member of his group left standing. The changeling returned to normal, cracking his knuckles and grinning from ear-to-ear at Raven.

"Behind you," she said dully.

"Huh?" he asked, turning. With a yelp, he jumped out of the way as another thug went hurtling past him, compliments of Cyborg.

A short distance off, Starfire was matching energy blasts for bullets, catching them and incinerating them before they could reach her. She floated down lower as the men realized they'd run out of bullets, "I do not want to hurt you," she told them, eyes glowing green, "But I see no other way." Apparently angered, one of the men rushed forward and grabbed her foot, yanking hard and pulling her down. She let out a small cry of surprise as a second grabbed her other leg and pulled as well. "Let me go!" she cried, sending energy blasts down at them both, knocking them away. But the more she knocked back, the more that seemed to come towards her.

A tremendous blue blast of energy knocked away at least half a dozen fully grown men. From a short distance away, Cyborg blew smoke from the top of his left arm (which had become a laser cannon now), "Ya'll need to learn not ta pick on people. It ain't appreciated."

Starfire gave him a grateful thumbs-up and the two of them hurried off to continue their assault.

Back by the truck, Robin was still trying to prevent the men from loading it up. But the green smog was getting thicker and making it harder to see. As he punched out one man and looked for another, he didn't even notice their leader sneaking up behind him. Before he even knew what hit him, the man clubbed him over the back of the head and he stumbled forward, stars bursting behind his eyes, towards an alleyway. 

A pair of slender hands caught him before he hit the ground and his face bumped up against a full bosom. He breathed a small sigh of relief, "Thanks."

"My pleasure, little bird," said a sultry voice he had not heard in years.

His eyes widened as he looked up into the face of Poison Ivy. "No…" 

She smiled, "Didn't think you'd be seeing me again, did you, Robin?"

Instinctively, he turned to run, "STAR-mmpphhh!" Before he could scream the whole name, Ivy's hand clamped a rag over his mouth and his vision blurred. Within seconds, the chloroform had taken complete affect and he crumpled in her arms, unconscious. 

Ivy shifted him so that one of his arms was draped over her shoulder and held him around the waist. With her free hand she pulled her cell phone out of her bag and said, "I've got him. Now get me outta here."

Almost instantly, a rope ladder with a thug hanging onto it was lowered behind her. She handed Robin over to him and then grabbed hold of the ladder as it rose quickly up to the Penguin's helicopter. Inside, the thug set Robin down across a back seat and Ivy sat down next to him, putting his head in her lap and stroking his hair. "Not a bad catch, if I do say so myself," she said, grinning up at the Penguin.

Oswald returned her smiled. "Not bad at all, Ms. Isley," he told her, and then turned to the pilot, "Take us out of here." 

As the helicopter turned towards the open night sky, Ivy pulled out her cell phone one more time, "Tell your men to fall back. We've got what we came for. And try to be quick about it. We don't need you all lingering there when the cops finally decide to show up."

* * *

Out on the street, the men moved as one, picking themselves up quickly (while not acting like they were obviously retreating) and piling themselves into the back of the tractor trailer. As they shut to door and drove away, Cyborg moved towards the T-Car. "Come on! We can't let 'em get away!"

"Wait!" Star cried, "Where is Robin?"

Beast Boy jerked a thumb off to his left, "He's right over there." They turned and sure enough Robin was standing a few yards away…fighting off air in a series of patterned moves. "Huh???" Beast Boy said, jogging over to the figure and waving a hand through it, "A hologram??"

"There's another one over there," Raven gestured off to the right where yet another Robin was battling air, "And there," in the northern direction was yet another one.

Cyborg clenched his fists angrily, "They must have him, come on!"

They all piled into the car, but a few moments of speeding in the direction the truck had gone turned up nothing. It had vanished. Cyborg pulled over to the side of the highway and pounded the steering wheel angrily.

"I do not understand…" Starfire said sadly, "What does this mean?"

"It means," Cyborg answered her, "that this whole thing was a set-up."

"They were after Robin the whole time," Raven said.

"But who were they?" Beast Boy asked.

"Who knows?" Cyborg shrugged.

"Robin has a lot of enemies," Raven said, "Most of whom we've never met."

"Are we not going to rescue him?" Star asked.

"There's no way of knowing where to start…" Raven answered, "We might as well go back to the Tower and do some research. Driving around aimlessly isn't going to find him."

Cyborg pounded the steering wheel again and then turned the T-Car back towards the Tower.

* * *

"Ivy, he's coming about. Let's see how well this bit of yours works."

Robin let a small moan escape his lips, the throbbing in his head now very hard to control. He blinked once or twice, trying to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. There was a single light in the room, shining down on a short, portly man in a suit. Another old familiar face, "Penguin!" he shouted, a gut reaction making his arm move down towards his belt. This attempted motion brought the teen hero a searing pain in his right arm. Chained to a wall, in a cage, "I'm not an animal, you know." Robin told his mentor's adversary, much more calmly.

"Then what do you call a Robin, boy?" Cobblepot asked him, his face twisting into a grin, "Don't bother struggling; No one knows you're here. Your 'teammates' didn't even notice your timely capture. Clueless, the lot of them. It's already apparent that you and your friends aren't even one tenth of what your master is. Such a simple trick, getting you to show; I'm sure the Batman would have seen it coming…"

It stung like a slap in the face. Robin clenched his teeth, determined not to show weakness of any kind. "What is it you want, Penguin? Am I just bait for him?? I'll tell you right now you're wasting your time – he won't come. He stopped bailing me out of things a long time ago."

The criminal mastermind chortled loudly, "And I learned never to bait the bat. He manages to fly out of traps better than any man alive. A trait I'm sure will not carry over to any of his miserable apprentices," Penguin adjusted his monocle again, sneering cruelly at the young man, "No, it was you we needed for this particular operation. So convenient, like you said, that Batman won't be interfering with us on your account. Makes life much easier, I must say."

"It certainly does," said Ivy, stepping into the light beside the bird man, dressed, not in the green leotard Robin remembered, but an outfit built out of black and green leather, which accented her curves just as well as the spandex used to. She stepped up to the cage, leaning in close to the bars, "So nice to see you again, handsome," she cooed, "Have you missed me?"

Robin's temper flared up, and he reacted before his mind told him that rash action would not be the wisest course right now. A second after impact, Robin licked his lips to wet them once again, the recent discharge of saliva having left his mouth dry.

Ivy's face grew hot and as she wiped the spit off of her cheek, Penguin's laughter echoed through the room. "Oh be quiet Oswald, and give me the syringe," she said, her seductive nature now thrown by the wayside.

"Careful now, Ms. Isley," Cobblepot told her, placing the long needle in her hand, once again all-business, "We don't want to kill him, after all."

"I know that," she said, squeezing the needle to make sure all the air was out of it, "I made the dosage a little less than what my calculations say it should be, just in case." She opened the front of the cage and stepped inside. "Now hold still," she told the young man, "This might hurt…I don't know. I've never tried it before." Without another word, she grabbed his arm, found the most prominent vein, and plunged the needle in.

Too much. Robin cried out in agony as unknown substances rushed into his system. He hung his head after several seconds, relieved of his hurting, "What…the hell…was that?" 

Ivy smiled, handing the syringe back to Penguin, who had entered the cage behind her. "A special serum I developed while I was stuck in Arkham," she told him, stroking his head gently, "In a few hours, your brain will shut down almost completely. Everything will be gone – memories of your friends, your life, everything – except the basic survival instincts. And once that's complete, we'll see how strong those instincts are."

Robin's eyes widened, dread and despair spreading through him, "You're…you're lying!" It couldn't be true. The day after he and Starfire finally realized their feelings for one another, and he has to go off and get captured. Now he was going to forget all that? "You can't make me forget."

Penguin smiled, "Afraid, are we? I suppose I don't blame you. It sounds quite painful from what Ivy has told me." The man straightened his top hat and began to walk away, "Lock the door on your way out, Ms. Isley. Wild animals need not be wandering around the compound."

"Bye-bye little birdie," Ivy said, kissing his forehead, "We'll be back to check on you in few hours." Then she strolled out of the cage, bolting it shut as she left. She caught up with Penguin as a few thugs stationed themselves around the cage. "If all goes well, we can begin administering the serum to the other boys," she told him, "Robin will need someone to play with."


	7. Chapter 7 MIA

A Note from the Authors: Do any of you loyal readers know what the name of the Titan's city is?? We need to know or we can't update Chapter 8!! Help, please! We can't find it anywhere on-line! Thank you! And enjoy!!

* * *

Chapter 7

"M.I.A."

Starfire was seated on the floor, hugging herself and rocking back and forth slowly, while she stared up at the wall-sized computer monitor in the Intelligence Center back at the tower. Raven was seated in front of the fast keyboard, her fingers flying across the keys as maps of the city, police reports, etc. flashed before them. Beast Boy was on the floor beside Star, hugging his knees. Behind them all, Cyborg was pacing restlessly. 

"There doesn't seem to be anything," Raven said as she continued to search, "Those men we were fighting have nothing in common with one another. They're just hired muscle for someone bigger. The question is – who?"

"Man, I can't believe how long it took for the cops to get there!" Cyborg spoke up angrily, "Do they expect us to clean up every mess in the city for them?!? Ten minutes sooner, that's all we woulda needed to clean up those guys!"

"That still wouldn't have helped us find Robin. Or figure out who took him. I lost track of him during the fight, as usual," Beast Boy said, twiddling his thumbs slowly. 

"Yeah, but not one of those crooks even got arrested!" The android said, glaring down at his one remaining male partner, "It's like we didn't accomplish nuthin' but a chemical spill!"

Beast Boy's ears perked up, "Chemical spill…wait a minute – what were those chemicals they were tryin' ta steal, anyway??"

Raven pulled up the latest police report on the screen. "Nothing special," she said as she scanned it, "Different tampered plant extracts. Used in a lot of common pharmacies…a couple cases of them being mixed for radical mental-illness treatment…"

"Why would someone wish to steal medicine?" Star wondered aloud.

"Can you even call stuff like that 'medicine'?" Cyborg asked, arching one eyebrow at the screen.

"Not sure…anyone here remember an enemy of Robin's that has the right M.O. for something like that?" Raven asked, "I doubt he has them all on a database in here."

"Birdboy never did like to talk much about his life in Gotham," the changeling said, scratching his head.

The largest member of the Teen Titans sat down slowly on one of the chairs around the screen (it had been abandoned during his time of pacing), "Got me. I thought he said Batman put away most of the big ones, anyway." 

"No psycho ever stays down in Gotham," Raven said, "I remember reading that the judicial system just cycles them in and out of rehab over and over. That's probably why Batman has stayed so popular…" She slid a finger along the touch-pad-mouse and the Arkham Asylum attendance log appeared on screen. "Let's see who's out on parole at the moment."

"They let nut-jobs have parole?" Beast Boy asked, making his eyes roll all around as if he was insane, "Whoever decided that should be thrown in with their charges."

Raven ignored him, and scrolled down the list of names quickly, "Edward Nigma…Harvey Dent…Pamela Isley…and Jonathan Crane…Batman must have his hands full. Anyone know the alter egos, or do I have to look that up too?"

"Dent's called 'Two-Face' now," the changeling said, morphing his head into the spooky mug of the former lawyer. He smiled crazily, and turned to look at Starfire, still sitting next to him, "BOO!"

She jumped back, startled, then slapped him across the face, "Do not _do_ that!"

"Ow, geez…" he moaned, rubbing his cheek (his face now back to normal), "I was just kidding around."

"Now's not really a good time for that, B." Raven told him, and then quickly got the conversation back on topic, "I think Nigma goes by 'The Riddler'."

"Sounds like something out of a bad 60s movie," Cyborg said, stifling a small laugh.

Raven smiled slightly as a back-water criminal database opened on screen. "Crane's apparently known at 'The Scarecrow' and Isley is… 'Poison Ivy'…out of all four of them, I'd put my bets on Ivy…Why is it Gotham villains each come with a theme?"

Ivy's picture flashed up onto the screen, "Man, why can't we have villains like that?" Cyborg asked, eyes wide. Behind him, Beast Boy nodded enthusiastically.

Raven shot him a death glare, "Maybe you'd rather it had been _you _that got kidnapped?"

"Well, no- I didn't mean- it's just- Star, don't start cryin'!"

The Goth snorted indignantly, "Men…always thinking with their hormones…" she rose from the chair and knelt down next to Starfire, who did look on the verge of tears, "It's okay, Star – we'll get him back."

"But…but what if he doesn't _wish _to return," she said, her lower lips trembling, "What if he would want –"

"Don't even go there," Raven said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder, "She's _way _ too old for him…and a complete psycho as well," she added, returning to her chair with another accusing look at the remaining male members of the team, "Robin's got more common sense than these two.'

Cyborg snorted and stuck his nose in the air, a false act of indignation, "I know when I've been insulted. So if all three a' you ladies would excuse me, there's some cold pizza in the kitchen with my name on it," he turned headed for the door, "And tomorrow, we're goin' to Gotham. Nobody messes with the Titans!"

"Alright!!" Beast Boy cheered, getting to his feet and following after the android, "Hey wait – whadda ya mean 'all three ladies'??"

"Just didn't want you to feel left out."

Raven shook her head and spun her chair around so she was facing Star again, "You okay?" 

"No…" Star wiped her eyes, "I do not see how I could be…"

"We _will _ get him back," the Azarathian assured her, then rose, holding out her hand, "Now come and eat – it'll make you feel better."

Star let herself be helped to her feet, "I hope you are right, Raven."

"Yeah…me too."

* * *

"It should be near completion by now," Ivy said, rising from her seat, "I'm going to go and observe. Would you care to join me?"

"I suppose." Penguin put away the reports he had been looking at and followed the ruler of the plant world out of the small office room.

She clapped her hands, "This should be fun." A short elevator ride later, the pair of them reentered the room Robin had been caged in. The guards looked up when the door swung open. "How is he?" she asked them calmly.

The men just gestured towards the cage.

Robin was sitting on the ground, now free from his bindings. The thought of escape that had once driven him to pick the locks on the chains had long since left him, and he was clutching his head with both hands. _'Starfire. Robin no forget: Starfire.'_ A picture of someone's (_Starfire's_) pretty face floated in front of Robin (_who?_), smiling down at him. The former teen superhero reached out, trying to touch the person. _'Too far. Always too far. Why so far?'_ Sweat was streaming profusely down his body. He clenched his teeth, some small part of him still desperately trying to fight the strengthening effects of the drug. _'Starfire! Starfire! Star-… who? Starfire!'_

"Ooh…lovely," Ivy said, stepping up closer to the cage, "It's almost complete now. How are you feeling, Robin? Not quite yourself?"

He stood up shakily, lowering his hands. _'Robin? Who?' _He focused his eyes on the female in front of him, _'Not Sta- not St- not S- Where?'_ The bars that separated him from the rest of the world made Robin uncomfortable. Trapped. 

_'Not here. Find!'_ A strong, commanding voice from his normal mind fired off its final command, before being engulfed in the fires of his new rage. Robin bared his teeth and growled low in his throat. Warning.

Ivy leaned back, grinning, "Perfect…" she purred, "Look at him, Ozzie! A perfect fighting machine; he knows nothing of morality or human rights…only fear and rage. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"In a sick, demented way, yes. Will he cooperate enough for the exhibition tomorrow night?" the birdman asked curiously.

The enemy pack was large. Made trap to capture with. Warned. Attack! Robin jumped to the edge of the cage, slamming into one of the bars with his shoulder. The metal dented slightly, but held firmly. He roared at the female in front of him, reaching out with one hand through the cage, his finger tips (which were poking through his broken green gloves) managed to catch Ivy on the collar bone, drawing a scratch of blood.

She let out a small gasp of pain and put a hand on the scratch. A second later, the guards were surrounding the cage. One prodded a long pole with a coiled of wire on the tip through the bars, jabbing the young man in the side. A sharp jolt of electricity sent him curling backwards, clutching his side and still growling.

Ivy scowled, "Get the collar on him – then we'll see how rebellious he wants to be." 

Penguin stepped forward, swinging his parasol up and pointing it at the Batman's apprentice, "Let me handle this one, Ivy." He motioned for the guards to step back (which they did) and he slowly walked up to the bars of the cage. Robin leapt, seizing an opportunity to attempt damage. The criminal smiled and fired off his umbrella. A small dart hit Robin straight in the chest. The hero looked down, grinned savagely, and pulled the projectile weapon out of himself. Blood began to drip from the wound, and Robin took another step forward.

Penguin continued to smile, ticking off the seconds in his head, _'Three… two…one…'_ As predicted, Robin dropped to the floor, unconscious. Cobblepot set the umbrella on his shoulder like a baseball bat and walked back over to Ivy, "Now, they can get the collar on him."

"Brilliant, Ozzie," she praised him, and then snapped at the guards, "You heard him. Get the collar on." The guards proceeded towards the cage cautiously. As the pair of masterminds rode the elevator back up to Penguin's office, Ivy gingerly touched her scratch again. "I know you want to tell me that getting too close to him was a novice mistake, so go ahead."

"Very well. Getting too close to that demon was an amateur mistake. One you'll hopefully learn from when we bring in more competitors," Oswald told her, now using his umbrella as a cane.

She folded her arms across her chest, pouting, "Why do I get the feeling you don't really take me seriously?" 

"It might be your outfit, or the time you spent in Arkham, I can't decide which." Penguin told her, one hand on his chin thoughtfully, "Either way, as long as this works out, how I treat you won't matter."

She sighed and leaned back against the elevator wall, "Would you actually believe the gang in Arkham envies you?" she asked, "For us, there's no going back after we've been in there for so long – even when we're released. But you can do honest work on the side as a cover and the cops just leave you to it. Any idea how jealous that makes us?"

"Not particularly. Normal life has its own type of punishment, but I suppose it is better than getting tofu and jello along with six dozen meds a day." The elevator door opened and he walked out slowly, "My success has come from my own doings. Money is the only thing that matters in this world, and how much of it you have determines how successful you are. If a shot at respectability is what you want, then this had better work out for the both of us. My mindset has always been: what's the point of being rich if you can't spend your cash?"

"A noble philosophy," she said, grinning and following after him.

* * *

"D'you think they've got enough smog??" Cyborg asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the T-Car rolled across the Gotham Gate Bridge at dawn.

"Is this really morning??" Beast Boy asked, pressing his nose against the shotgun-side window.

"How are the people able to breath here?" Star wondered.

"They learn to adapt," Raven said dully, "And in this town, they've had to do quite a lot of adapting."

"This place is _huge_…" Beast Boy marveled, "Finding Robin's gonna be near impossible – er, I mean…" he stammered, glancing back nervously at Star, "impossible for normal people – but not for us!"

"Dude, just don't talk. It never helps, and you need to save as much breath as you can. You don't have metallic lungs," Cyborg told his friend, poking him in the chest. 

"Yeah…" Beast Boy rubbed his chest and then asked, "Shouldn't we have brought gasmasks or something?"

"I doubt that's really necessary," Raven said, "Anyone want to suggest a first stop?"

"How 'bout Wayne Manor?" Cyborg suggested, "Robin was Batman's adopted son or somethin', right?"

"Technically, it's his 'ward', but yes," Raven said, "Before we decide, however I have a question – won't that look like begging for help?"

"Maybe that's what it's gonna take," Beast Boy shrugged.

"Hey, I'd wanna know if my son was kidnapped," Cyborg said, nonchalantly, "Maybe Azarathians put pride over people."

Raven flushed angrily and muttered, "Whatever. Do what you want to."

Star spoke up timidly, "I would like to speak with Batman…"

"By a vote of three to one, we're going to Wayne Manor!" The android male made a swift turn and began to journey to the house of the illustrious Bruce Wayne.


	8. Chapter 8 The Attrition of a Mind

A quick note: Thanks to all. Jump City it is!! And now, onto the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8

"The Attrition of a Mind"

"Master Bruce, we have visitors."

"Who?" came the charming voice of Bruce Wayne, as the boy billionaire himself walked into the foyer, dressed in his usual all black business suit. 

His long-time friend and butler Alfred gestured at a familiar band of young adults standing just inside the doorway, looking very uncomfortable. "Master Tim's companions, as you can see." 

Bruce was silently glad that they had had enough sense to come to his home out of costume. "Victor, Garfield, Kory, Raven," he greeted them each with a nod.

Raven snorted in a laugh and glanced at Beast Boy, "Garfield??"

"SHUT UP!!"

"Alright, alright," Cyborg (a.k.a. Victor) said, "Enough – we're here for a reason, remember??"

"Sorry…" Raven said softly.

Bruce cleared his throat, "And what might that reason be?"

The teens all exchanged nervous looks. Starfire (a.k.a. Kory) said tentatively, "Perhaps we could sit down and talk?"

Alfred appeared at Bruce's side, "Shall I prepare the den, or should you like to discuss matters downstairs?"

Bruce looked at the teen superheroes, "Well?"

Raven shrugged, "This place seems remote enough – how much trouble do you usually have with paparazzi?"

"Slim to none," Bruce shook his head, "I haven't been the city's top interest as of late."

"Then the den should be fine," she told him.

* * *

"Now – what brings you all out here?" Bruce asked as the group sat around his large study and Alfred distributed mugs of coffee or tea among them. "I highly doubt this is a social call. Where's Tim?"

"That's…why we're here," Cyborg said, turning his eyes to the floor.

"He has been…taken," Star said, choking back a new wave of tears.

"We think Poison Ivy's behind it," Raven said.

"So we, uh…just thought we'd tell you…" Beast Boy finished rather lamely, forcing a weak smile.

"I see," Bruce said. His voice was light, but his turquoise eyes seemed light-years away, "Well, thanks for stopping by. As long as you're staying in town, maybe we'll see each other again."

Three of the Titans just blinked in astonishment, and Starfire rose to her feet, angry tears stinging her eyes, "How can you act like you do not care??" she demanded.

"Starfire, calm down," Raven said slowly.

"I will not calm down!" Star cried, glaring down at Bruce, "Robin has praised him for years – and after all he has said I cannot believe that this man would react this way to the news we bring! How can one who fights against evil be so heartless??"

Bruce looked back up into her green, narrowed eyes, "I'm sorry, kids. But I do have some work of my own to do." He stood, as did Beast Boy and Cyborg. The corporate billionaire waved and walked away.

"That's that then," Raven said. Starfire dissolved into tears and the Goth took her by the arm and led her towards the exit, "Let's go guys."

"That was sure weird," Beast Boy said, shaking his head in disgust.

"What did we expect to accomplish, again?" Cyborg asked.

"We thought he'd care."

"He does."

"What? How do you know that? Sure didn't look like it to me…"

"He's the world's greatest detective. I think he's learned by now not to wear his emotions out on his sleeves like Star."

"So why didn't he say he'd help us out?"

"Cuz we're not kids anymore. By now he expects us to be able to resolve problems on our own. He might help if he really thinks it's necessary."

"But we can't, right?"

Cyborg stopped walking and held out one extended hand, which Beast Boy walked into promptly.

"What the heck was that for?" Best Boy asked, rubbing his nose.

The android began walking again, "Well, some of us can't…"

"And what'd ya mean by that?"

* * *

Once the quadruplet had left, Bruce Wayne sighed, "Alfred!"

The butler appeared as if out of thin air, a piece of silver and polishing rag in hand. "Right here, sir," he said, "I must say, the children left rather upset."

"Yes, well, not much could be done about that," he began walking towards his grandfather clock that led to the Batcave, "I don't know how much I trust their deductive abilities, but Raven is usually on top of things. How long has Ivy been out of the asylum?"

"Only a few days, if I'm not mistaken," Alfred said, "But no word in the papers yet about her movements. She's been keeping a low profile."

"What would she want with Robin?" 

"I honestly couldn't tell you, sir," the butler shrugged as Bruce opened the clock, and began his descent down the winding staircase. "I would think Miss Isley was beyond trying to avenge her previous failures. Most likely it's not to bait you – or else we would have received word of it through someone other than the Titans."

"So… she's just trying to tick me off so I can send her back to the Asylum with the Joker?"

"That seems highly unlikely, Master Bruce."

"It was sarcasm, Alfred."

"I see, sir."

"Somehow, Alfred, I just don't believe you."

"You deductive skills have never failed you, sir."

"A trend I hope to continue," Bruce said, sitting down at the large supercomputer console and activating it, "Watch the door, would you Alfred?"

"Of course, sir," the butler walked away, slowly making his way back up the long set of stairs.

Wayne stared at the screen, which began to flash up information on Poison Ivy. _'What could she be planning?'_ He knew this was one mystery that would have to be resolved quickly. Every second he wasted was one more that could bring Robin closer to death. It wasn't that he didn't trust the boy; it was more that he didn't trust the boy. He was still too head-strong for his own good, and not quite smart enough to read between the lines when it really counted.

And then there were his protégé's teammates. Not that they weren't skilled, but they all had their own flaws as well, and lack of experience was one that would weigh them down in this situation. They didn't know the city, and they didn't know Ivy (and whoever else might be involved). Pamela Isley rarely worked with partners, but if she was taking on something seemingly bigger than normal, it was an option he would have to consider.

He hadn't meant to make them so upset (well…maybe he had), but in a business like this, that was the way it should always be handled – as business. If you got emotionally involved, it would hinder you more often than help you. Emotions always clouded reason, and that was something none of them could afford to have happen.

* * *

"Well, that was productive," Raven muttered. Seated in the back of the T-Car (cleverly disguised so it wouldn't stand out as much), she had one arm around Starfire, who was still sniffling, and dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex.

"Whadda we do now?" Beast Boy asked the group.

"Let's hit the streets. Guys like Robin don't just disappear and not stir-up talk." Cyborg gunned the car and the roared down the driveway, barely giving time for the gates to Wayne Manor to open and let them out.

* * *

"Everything's in place, Ozzie," Ivy said, hanging up her cell phone after getting an update from the thugs down in the arena, "The stands are full and the crowd's plenty excited. Looks like we're on in five."

"How's the demon-Robin doing?" Oswald asked, holding two umbrellas up in the air, as if he couldn't choose which one to carry.

"Still throwing a fit, as far as the guards have told me," Ivy grinned, "But the collar's on, so getting him into position should be no problem." She rose from her seat, now wearing a sequined green top, black mini-skirt and leather boot that reached past her knees. 

_'Poison or bullets?'_ "And the other competitor? Where did you borrow him from, anyway?"

"From the juvenile detention center – an 18-year-old drug dealer with anger to spare," she said nonchalantly, "Shall we then?" she asked, offering him her arm.

He set one of the umbrellas down and took her arm, "Let shall." 

* * *

[Robin hates the choking circle. Too tight, feel no good.] His hands were by his side, perfectly straight and perfectly still. [Let them try to take Robin. Fat, ugly male with box use choking circle to hurt him. Open cage, and Robin rip his head off.] He grinned savagely, staring at the man.

The guards approaching the cage were starting to wonder if this was really worth the pay (which wasn't that great to begin with). The first held the collar's remote and a short chain. The second held the key to the cage and a long pole. They unlocked the cage, both tense, waiting to see what the drugged young man would do, how much force they would need to use to get him to move.

[Two. Only two. Easy prey. Come close to Robin.] The young man did nothing, merely moved his eyes to follow the one man's hand that held the remote control to his electric collar. The smile never left his face for even a second.

The first guard drew closer, the hand holding the chain raised. "Now if he just stays still, that'd be nice."

"Just be careful," the second warned.

"I am, I am," the first said. The chain was mere inches away from the connecting latch on the collar.

[Attack!] Robin lashed out with one foot in a lightning fast kick that connected with the man's left hand. He yelped in pain and let go of the remote, which clattered to the ground. Robin grabbed the man's other hand and pulled him close so they were face to face. [The hunt rewards Robin. Weak prey.] He reared back and smashed the man in the nose with his right hand, knocking him to the floor.

The second guard lost no time. In a swift movement, he clubbed the boy in the back with his pole, sending him to the floor, shouting to the first, "Get the damn remote!!"

"Easy fuh you ta say," The first said, his broken nose making speech difficult. 

[No box! No box!] Robin reached out with both of his hands and latched onto the second guard's feet, pulling him to the ground. He leapt to his feet, but was too late. The first guard had the remote and pressed the button on it.

A huge surge of electricity coursed through the Boy Wonder's body, bringing him back to his knees. [Hunt does not reward Robin. Robin hates the choking circle.]

The second guard grabbed the chain and latched it onto the collar quickly. Then both of them got to their feet, panting. The guard with the chain yanked it hard, forcing Robin to his feet, "Come on, move," he said, poking him with the blunt edge of the staff. The first guard was holding the remote in one hand, while holding his other sleeve up to his nose to soak up the blood.

[Robin go. Next time, Robin kill fat, ugly males…]

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to welcome you all tonight for our very special presentation," Ivy said, as she and the Penguin stood under a spotlight in the center of a large arena.

Penguin straighten his bow tie, then spread his arms wide to the crowd, "I give you the greatest gambling challenge since the Ancient Roman Gladiators! Two able-bodied young men, pitted against each other in a battle to the death, with no weapons but their bare hands. A titanic struggle worthy of the ancient gods! Welcome to the Colliseum!"

The shadowed spectators roared with approval as Ivy and Penguin left the arena and doors on each of the far sides slid open, spilling light onto the field. Ivy's amplified voice echoed through the room, "In the right corner is the Boy Blunder, the one we all love to hate, don't we?" Robin was shoved through the open door. The crowd roared with laughter, many of whom had been placed in jail at one time or another by the Dynamic Duo or the Teen Titans, "In the left corner we have his challenger, Toxin." A young man around Robin's age with tan skin and blonde hair was pushed through the other door. "At the sound of the gunshot, this match will begin. Those of you have not placed bets already, please do so immediately."

Robin stepped slowly into the light of the fighting arena. [Many creatures here. Friends? Enemies?] He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pretty female face plastered into his mind. Nameless, but not forgotten. His teeth were no longer bared threateningly, rather he looked around with naïve curiosity, all manner of anger forgotten for the moment. 

Across the large field of dirt, the boy dubbed Toxin looked nearly rabid. He was breathing heavily and lashing out at the walls of the arena, trying to jet at the audience members. They seemed to enjoy this and tossed things at him, loose change, bits of food. He snarled at them and then, as he chased after the food, he spotted Robin. His pale blue eyes opened wide for a second before narrowing at the new threat, and he growled.

Penguin (from his seat in the front row of the crowd) fired his umbrella off, signaling the start of the bout.

As if his anger had actually been heightened by the shot, Toxin ran forward, almost on all fours, slowing a few feet away from Robin, circling around him slowly.

Robin blinked at the man. [He no look like fat, ugly males.] He turned his back to the teen, much more content to continue his search of the audience for his nameless face.

But being ignored was not what Toxin wanted. Angered at being judged a non-threat by this opposition, he launched himself forward, landing on Robin's back and knocking him to the dirt.

[Pain! ………Why?] Robin rolled over quickly, causing his attacker to fall to the arena floor as well. He stood up slowly, rage building within him at this clearly unnecessary assault. The demon-Robin bared his teeth angrily at the boy, as if to ward him away. [Warned. Attack? No.] He walked away (staring out at the crowd once more) much to the dismay and displeasure of the audience.

Penguin frowned, "Ivy, what the hell is going on? These people are paying us good money to see these two boys tear each other limb from limb, so why won't our little savage fight back?"

"I don't know – he must be fighting it better than we thought," she said, biting her fingernails unintentionally, "What is he looking for??"

Toxin was now furious, at having been thrown, and then ignored once again. With a roar, he leapt at Robin again, this time hitting him in the side and sending them both rolling across the dirt. Now positioned on the Boy Wonder's chest, Toxin reeled back and punched him hard in the face. He then leaned in close and growled as if to say 'Don't think I'm not a threat'.

[Attack!] Robin grabbed the young man by the shirt, and managed to toss his enemy off of him. He leapt up and began to run toward Toxin, who had just started to pick himself up off of the ground, delivering a roundhouse kick to the face that drew blood from the boy's lip. It wasn't enough for Robin, who craved vengeance for the unprovoked attacks on him. He didn't let the man fall back down, but rather picked him up by the fraying-collar of his shirt and flung him into the stadium wall.

The crowd cheered and Penguin breathed an inward sigh of relief. "Now _that's _more like it," he said, adjusting his monocle.

Toxin hit the ground on all fours, and jumped up again, hurtling his fist at Robin's face.

[More pain. Always pain. Never happiness. Too much!] The blow battered, but didn't fell Robin. He was sick of the hurting and sick of this enemy. The Boy Wonder rushed his opponent, pinning him against the wall. A barrage of punches from Robin's free hand brought roars of approval (and several groans of despair) from the watchers in the stands. After several seconds, Robin lowered his fist and let the man down. Toxin's face was bruised, bloody, and he most likely had a broken jaw bone. Robin kneed him in the stomach on his way down to the floor, and stood triumphant over his opponent. His anger faded away, and he looked up at the many people, still desperately hoping to see the pretty, happy face watching him.

The crowd waited breathlessly, and slowly, as it dawned on him that the victor was not interested in finishing his opponent off, they began to get angry. A great murmur of disappointment rose from the stands.

"What is he doing now??" Penguin demanded, "Why won't he finish it?"

Ivy pulled out her cell phone, "Give him a good shock – see if that provokes him." They did. Everyone could see the electricity shoot up around him, watched him double over in pain. Then the voltage ceased and he continued to ignore his fallen adversary. "What is he waiting for?!" Ivy whispered, aggravated, "Try it again." Again they shocked him. Again he made no move towards Toxin.

"This is ridiculous," Penguin grumbled, "Even at his most savage, he's still a do-gooder. End it Ivy – we'll increase the dosage next time."

She nodded and grabbed the microphone by her side, "And we have a winner tonight folks! All bidding wins and losses will be handled by the attendants on your way out, and we hope to see you again in two days from now, when our champion will face a new challenger!"

As Robin searched the departing crowd, two new guards snuck up behind him and snapped the chain onto his collar. "Let's move," one ordered, yanking the chain, "You're through for the night."

[Robin done? Robin not free. Robin not found female. Robin not done…] 


	9. Chapter 9 DeadEnds and Distractions

Chapter 9

"Dead Ends and Distractions"

"Somebody please tell me they got _somethin'_," Cyborg said as the small band congregated earlier that evening at their two-bed, one-bath room at one of the more low-budget hotel in central Gotham.

"Nothing…" Raven shook her head, "The general vibe I get is that most people hardly remember him…the others just hate him."

Beast Boy nodded, "Yeah – he definitely wasn't popular, but it's no wonder. I mean, he probably helped bust nearly everybody in the city at one time or another."

"I do not like this city," Starfire said sadly, "Everyone is so very angry all the time…"

"We're going to have to get used to it," Raven told her, "We may be here a while."

"I think we should try again tonight," Cyborg said, "Gotham's usually dead during the day anyway. We should have better luck after nightfall."

"Like you can really tell the difference," Beast Boy muttered, staring out their only window at the smog-filled skyline.

"Stop whinin', Wimp Boy. Just 'cause there isn't a sign of wildlife for forty miles, doesn't mean you can make the rest of us miserable."

"Whatever," the changeling said, then he turned and left the room broodingly. 

Raven watched him go, then told Cy and Star, "I'll catch up with you guys later tonight," and followed after him. "Gar! Wait!" she called to him, once out in the corridor.

Beast Boy stopped, turning his head around to look at her, "What did you call me?" he asked, rather perplexed.

"Your…name…" she said, realizing she had slipped, "You don't mind, do you?"

He shrugged, "Never really liked my name…but it doesn't sound so lame when you say it like that." They exchanged a small smile and then he asked, "Is there, um…something you wanted?"

"Yeah," she nodded, the color rising just slightly in her cheeks, "I thought maybe we could partner up tonight…you know, the whole 'good-cop bad-cop' deal…"

"Which one would I be?" the changeling asked.

"Take a wild guess," she said.

"Aww…why do I always have to be the good cop?" he asked as they reached the stairs.

"Good just doesn't work for me," she explained, "You know that."

Beast Boy sighed, following her down the stairs and out the door into the dark Gotham night. At least she wanted to hang with him - that was an improvement…

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling everyone's staring at us?" 

"Just ignore them…" Raven muttered, as the pair wandered the busy night streets.

"I'd like to, really, but this is freakin' me out," Beast Boy said, his eyes darting around at the crowd.

"You'd think they'd be used to people like us…" she said.

Out of the mass, one voice rose over the dull hum and reached their ears, "Hey – super-hero wanna-bees! Go back to whatever planet you came from!"

A small vein on Beat Boy's forehead throbbed as his temper rose. He transformed into a large, very annoyed, green tiger. The changeling roared loudly, scaring away those that had been eyeing them.

"You can't go doing that to civilians," Raven said, rubbing her temple with forefinger and thumb, "Even if they're ass-holes."

The teen titan reverted back to his normal, less threatening form, "Why? If they're gonna be jackasses, we can give 'em what's coming to them."

"You can't really blame them for being cynical," she said, not even breaking a stride, "Think about the shit they've had to deal with over the years. And most of them blame people like us for it."

"They should blame themselves; a lot of them probably deserve to be in jail. And why are you sympathizing with them? You never show pity!"

She shrugged, "I guess I see a lot of myself in them. I don't really know how to explain it. But they've actually made me realize something just now. In this town, these costumes look more like what the villains wear. A wardrobe change wouldn't be a bad step."

Beat Boy blinked, trying to imagine what they might look like with a change in costume, "Actually, I kinda like your costume, Raven."

She blushed under the shadow of her hood, "Don't you think I should have grown out of this by now?"

"What'd ya mean? It's spandex, like mine! It goes on forever!"

"I don't mean like that," she said, "I'm just saying the unitard-look isn't meant for someone my age."

"You fill it out rather nicely."

She whacked him lightly upside the head, "This is _not _the time to get perverted."

"Sorry," he said, rubbing his head in an attempt to wear away the pain, "So…where does one go to buy 'super-hero' clothing?"

"Not sure…but it couldn't hurt to look around."

* * *

"Gimme a drum-roll will you, Rae?" Beast Boy asked, poking his head over the door of his dressing-room stall.

"No."

"Oh come on, please?"

"Just show me what you found." Raven was in a folding chair, leaning it back on two legs. Her new outfit was completely black and consisted of: leather pants that flared out at the bottom just enough to fit around her clunky work-boots, spandex sleeveless top, silver armbands, and a new cloak made of flame-retardant material. The back-alley store they'd found was certainly no place Starfire would approve of, but its stock was surprisingly impressive.

"Ta-da!" He pushed the door open and stepped out, dressed in black and deep plum: leather pants with boots that reached up to his knees, thick metal belt (complete with empty holster), long-sleeve spandex top, and heavy-duty leather jacket (with zippers in unnecessary places), with a shoulder pad on the left side.

"Nice…" she said, snapping her fingers as she would in a coffeehouse.

"That woulda been so much more dramatic with the drum-roll…"

"Oh stop whining, you look hot, let's get going," she said quickly, getting to her feet.

Beast Boy started to walk after her, then stopped suddenly, Raven's rushed words sinking into his head, "Wait, what?" he asked, running to catch up with his departing partner.

* * *

"I do not like this city at _all_," Star said for the tenth time that night, "I am glad I do not have to be alone out here," she added, taking hold of Cyborg's arm as a particularly vicious looking civilian growled at her, "Thank you for letting me come with you."

"No problem," Cyborg told her reassuringly. If Robin was here, he'd be going nuts over this scene. But he wasn't…, "Now let's get goin'. We have work ta do."

"Yes," she nodded, "I wish I knew where to start…" Gradually their walking slowed, by no intention of their own, until they were stopped at the edge of a descent-sized crowd. Flashing red and blue lights let them know the Gotham P.D. was present. 

"Wonder what's going on?" Cyborg mused. Star began to rise off the sidewalk to get a better look, but he put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, "Flyin' might be a little too conspicuous. Here," he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, "What can ya see?"

"They are putting a body into an ambulance," Star said, squinting to see better, "But there is no sign of a struggling having taken place…"

"You mean a fight?"

"Yes, that."

He set her back on the ground, "Wish we could get closer to ask what happened."

"Normally I would suggest asking these people politely to move," she told him, "But I feel that would have no point."

The android grinned happily and rubbed his hands together, "Then it's time to get a little rough."

After much pushing and shoving ("Ow! Hey watch it!"), the two managed to get to the front of the crowd. The largest member of the Teen Titans looked down at a male that appeared to be about their age, earrings up the wazoo and a cigarette hanging out of his slight mouth, "What happened to him?" he asked, gesturing at the man on the stretcher being hoisted into the medical vehicle.

"Who knows?" the smoker shrugged, taking a long drag, "From what they've been saying, they just pulled 'im outta the dumpster down that alley there."

"And that's all we're going to say." A woman in her early twenties, with tan skin and black hair pulled in a braid approached them from the other side of the 'caution' tape. She was dressed casually, in a gray turtleneck with a gun holster on one shoulder and straight black pants. "You can read the rest in the police report tomorrow…not that'll say much more."

Her blue eyes traveled past the smoker bordely, then widened as they landed on the android. "Can't say I've seen you in Gotham before," she mused, "You new around here, big guy?"

"Sorta," he said, one hand behind his head in embarrassment, "This kinda thing doesn't usually happen in Jump City, but I guess Gotham really is different." Sometimes, acting dumb would get you information. If not, it got you laughed at and/or attacked. And foreign stupidity was the easiest kind. Worth the risk, most of the time. If only Beast Boy was here; his stupidity came naturally.

"Jump City?" she repeated, "Wait a minute…you're one of the Junior Justice League, aren't you?"

The android sighed. That was a really degrading nickname, "Teen Titans." he corrected quietly.

"Right…sorry," she said with a small smile, "Never thought I'd ever see you guys here – did Batman call Robin back for something?"

"Actually," Starfire spoke up, "We are here looking for Robin – he was taken from us."

"Oh…" the woman's expression softened, "Wish I could help you, but I've gotta check the dumpster-kid into the hospital…wanna come along?"

"Sure, why not?" Cyborg said, looking down at Star to see if she had a 'why not'. It was better than wandering around aimlessly, and making allies in a city as crappy as this one was always a start. Having a police contact could actually be quite helpful.

Starfire shrugged, to tell him she had no objections, and the two of them stepped under the 'caution' tape and boarded the ambulance. As they engines came to life and they started moving, the blue-eyed woman extended her hand to Cyborg, "I'm Detective Amy Leigh, by the way. Gotham P.D."

"Cyborg, acting-captain of the Teen Titans," he told her, smiling warmly and accepting her hand, "This is Starfire, gorgeous woman from the stars." 

"Nice to meet you," Amy said cordially shaking Star's hand as well, "So…you say Robin's been kidnapped…any suspects yet?"

"Yeah, but no proof," the android told her, trying to be careful not to bump his head on the roof of the ambulance.

"That usually the way it is with the crooks in this town," Amy said, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face, "You have no idea how frustrating it is watching them go free, even when _everyone _knows they're guilty."

"Our justice system has really gone downhill over the years," Cyborg said glumly, resting his chin in one hand.

She smiled sadly, "And to think, when I graduated from the Police Academy I thought I was going to make a difference."

"Well, you are. See, if it weren't for you, this guy would still be in the dumpster back there," the largest of the Teen Titans told her sarcastically, smirking.

"You're funny," she said, laughing quietly, "Sardonic, but funny." 

"Thanks." Seeing as this off-topic banter was going to get them nowhere fast, the robot-boy decided to change topics, "So… now that we're behind closed doors, is there anything else you can tell me about this guy? What his story is?"

"Not much too tell," she shrugged, "He disappeared from the Juvenile Hall a few days ago…now he turns up again, almost-dead. No rhyme or reason behind it, as far as we know now. He was in for drug-dealing, but that doesn't tell us anything."

Cyborg could think of no reply to such a comment, but merely nodded.

Starfire leaned her elbows on her knees, staring at the young man on the stretcher before them, "If he was in prison, how could he be kidnapped?"

"Not sure," Amy shrugged, "The officials at the Hall told us that, through questioning of some of the other prisoners, he had been planning an escape attempt, and that he was supposedly relying on outside help, but none of them could say who – and that certainly doesn't explain why he's suddenly in this condition…"

A sudden jolt told the trio that the ambulance had reached its destination. The doors to the back of the vehicle were opened by several medical assistances and brought the man down from his spot in between the three. "Well, this is my stop," Amy said, as they all filed out after the stretcher, "Is there some way I can contact you if I come up with anything else after he's examined?"

Cyborg looked at Starfire, who was still watching the man depart, "Star?"

"Oh, yes," she said, reaching into a pocket in her skirt and pulling out a small wallet, from out of which she drew what looked like a business card, "You can call this number if you come up with anything," she said holding it out.

Amy took it and glanced at it. "Cute caricatures," she said, "I can definitely see the resemblance."

"I hate that thing," Cybrog said, slapping his forehead and going slightly red. The chibi pictures of the Teen Titans' heads on the card were all smiling broadly, eyes closed in happiness.

Leigh pocketed the card, "It's not so bad. Here's hoping I get to use it. See ya later," she gave a small wave and headed up the front steps of the hospital.

Cyborg waved, then began to walk down the street, away from the hospital.

"I think that was the nicest person I have met since we arrived here," Star said, jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"Don't expect there to be too many more nice people in this place, Star," he told her warningly, shaking a finger. 

"Oh, I don't," Star said, shaking her head vigorously, "I was merely commenting that it was a welcome surprise. It is nice to have someone on our side."

"Yeah," the robot-man agreed. He stopped in his tracks for just a second, looking around, _ 'Now… which way is back to the motel?'_ He shrugged to himself and kept walking. It couldn't be _that_ hard to find.


	10. Chapter 10 The Blood Of Timothy Drake

A Response to a Few Reviews: 

To LadyEvils - You're right about the leather thing - it totally slipped my mind when I wrote it! We'll say it's fake leather, ok?

To Willow182 - The kid they found was the "Toxin" that fought Robin, as you'll find out in this chapter

To ROBINROX - sorry, but there's more pain for Robin before there's relief

To bofors: here's the link to my art gellery. more pics will be posted as soon as I can scan them! 

To All: As you can see by the title, we've chosen for our Robin to be Tim Drake, rather than Dick Grayson. This is just our choice because it fits better with our story. Thank you. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10

"The Blood of Timothy Drake"

_Bee-boop-bop-a-dee-bloop! Bee-boop-bop-a-dee-bloop!_

Beast Boy groaned softly, muttering curses at the world for making his cell phone ring at 6:07 in the morning as he sat up-

_Thock!_

The changeling moaned and lied back down. He had apparently rolled under the desk in the room whilst sleeping on the floor last night. He rubbed his forehead, trying to stop the ringing in his head.

_Bee-boop-bop-a-dee-bloop! Bee-boop-bop-a-dee-bloop!_

Or was that still his phone?

After a few seconds of reorienting himself, the green-skinned male managed to free his cell phone from his pocket, "Hullo?"

"Um…" said an unfamiliar feminine voice, "This isn't Cyborg, is it?"

"No." Beast Boy blinked once, gave up trying to keep his eyes opened, and continued dully, "Do you want him?"

"Yes please," the female on the other end said, sounding flustered.

With a single heave, the cell phone was lofted into the air by Beast Boy. It sailed ungracefully towards its target, a perfectly aimed shot. The changeling watched as it made contact with its intention, grinning evilly, "Cyborg, some chick wants you!"

"Ow!" Cyborg cried, rudely awakened as the phone hit his head. It bounced off of him and he had to scramble to catch it before it fell to the floor, "Uh, hello??" he asked into the receiver.

"Cyborg? It's Detective Leigh," came Amy's voice, "The medical examination on the dumpster-kid found something I think you'll be interested in. How soon can you come to the hospital?"

He began to massage the back of his head, trying to comprehend everything, "Uh… isn't it a little early? Maybe like around 7:15…7:30… somethin' that doesn't start with a '6'?"

"Yeah, sorry about calling so early," she said, and he could almost feel the heat that must have been coming off of her face through the phone, "I haven't been home all night…I've been going back and forth from the police station and the hospital since I left you last night. I guess I've gone beyond the point of needing sleep…I'll see you after seven then?"

"Yeah, sure…" Cyborg's large thumb squashed about half of the buttons on the cell phone, powering it down. He glared daggers at Beast Boy and flung the little machine back at him.

Beast Boy caught it ungracefully and pocketed it. "Who was that?"

"A cop. Giving those of us that at least did some work last night information. And by the way, man, your new outfit is just as ridiculous as your old one."

"Dude – I'll have you know Raven said I looked hot in this," Beast Boy protested, gesturing at himself.

"She was humoring you."

"She was _not_!" the changeling cried, suddenly worried. _'She couldn't have been…could she??'_

"I suppose you could always take a look in her mirror if you really wanna know the truth," Cyborg told his friend, shrugging, "But I'm pretty sure I'm right."

"Sorry, Cy," came Raven's voice and they both turned. She was propped up on her elbows, in the bed she and Starfire were sharing. "Not right this time – and sorry, my mirror is not open for public viewing at the moment."

"Just makin' a suggestion is all," he said coolly, refraining from asking the question: "How long have you been listening?" and instead simply saying, "Mornin', Rae."

"Yeah, morning," she said, "So what'd your cop have to tell you?"

"She ain't mine!" Cyborg cried frantically, "And it's a long story, so ask Star when she wakes up. I gotta go eat."

"Ooh! Breakfast sounds good!" Beast Boy cried, jumping to his feet, "I'll come with you!"

"You can come if you want. Females always want 'private time' after all."

Beast Boy's eyes widened slightly, "Whoa…that put a really kinky image in my head…" he said, blushing.

"On second thought, maybe you should stay here," Cyborg said, leaving as quickly as possible.

"Do I even wanna _know _what the hell you were picturing?" Raven asked.

Beast Boy turned back to her, laughing embarrassedly, one hand behind his head.

* * *

_'__7:10…that's close enough,' _Cyborg thought to himself as he checked the watch implanted in his arm. The other three member of the team had caught up with him at a coffee house a few blocks between the motel and the hospital, and over breakfast, Starfire had explained their encounter with Detective Leigh. After that, Cyborg had explained about the phone call. "Alright, let's go," he said, rising from his chair and grabbing Beast Boy by the pointy ear, "You've eaten enough."

"But I wasn't finished!" the green-skinned teen whined as he was dragged towards the door. Raven slapped a tip down on the table, then she and Starfire followed after the boys.

The trek to the hospital was a quiet one, as the Gotham streets were nearly empty in the early hours of morning. As they entered the hospital lobby, they found Leigh waiting for them, seated off to one side, writing in a small ringed notebook. As the sound of their entrance reached her ears she checked her watch. "You're a little early," she said, rising.

"Hey, I said 7:15ish. Close enough, right?" Cyborg asked, grinning slyly, "I don't believe you've met the rest of my group: the weird one with the green complexion is Beast Boy, and uh…," the android paused, unable to think of a word or phrase to appropriately describe Raven, "That's Raven."

The Azarath frowned slightly, but nodded towards the female cop.

"Nice to meet you both," Amy said, shaking hands with both Raven and Beast Boy.

"Yes…" Raven said, "Cyborg told us you had something important to tell us."

"Straight to business I see," Amy said, "You must be the disciplined one."

"I try."

"If you'll follow me, I'll show you what I was talking about on the phone." Leigh turned and led them to the elevator, up two floors, to a room at the end of a long hallway. She pushed open the door and motioned for them to go inside. On a bed in the center of the room was the young drug-dealer, with an IV tube in one arm, and bandages all over.

"Did he get the number of the bus that hit him?" Beast Boy asked, jokingly.

"Actually, we did," Amy said, "The blood on his hands was identified as belonging to a Timothy Drake. Does that name ring a bell to any of you?"

Cyborg shot a look at Starfire, as if warning her not to start the waterworks, "No, sorry."

Leigh pursed her lips, disappointed. "Well, there's one more thing," she continued, "We found traces of a strange chemical in his blood – certain components of which were the target in an attempted robbery of the Hitachi plant in name of city place."

"That's the last time we saw Robin; we were on that scene, trying to stop a bunch a' thugs!" Beast Boy spoke up excitedly.

"That's not all," Amy said, gesturing to a light-screen covered with x-rays, "The drug seems to have caused a near-total-cerebral shut down. Only his basic life support system is still functioning."

"Why would someone want to do that to themselves?" Raven asked.

"Maybe he didn't," Beast Boy shrugged, "Maybe it was whoever kicked his butt."

Cyborg groaned inwardly. Did Beast Boy not know who Timothy Drake was? 

The young man on the bed grunted and they all turned to look at him. "He seems to be awaking," Star said quietly.

Toxin's eyes shot open and began darting around the room. The scent of others was close; the aroma of unsuspecting quarry. The disgusting two-legged creatures swarmed this room, but the smell of animal was apparent as well. Fresh prey, fresh meat. Despite his physical injures, the young man leapt up, sending the IV tower crashing to the ground. He rushed towards the large pack, tiny particles of saliva flying from his mouth. The weak always grouped together.

"Look out!" Cyborg cried, stepping forward and catching Toxin in mid-air, "Leigh – go get somebody with a tranq-gun, or something!" he said, as he wrestled with the seemingly rabid man, while trying not to injure him any further.

"Right," Amy dashed out the door.

"_Zinthos!_" Raven cried, raising one hand. Black energy surrounded Toxin and pried him off of Cyborg, letting him hover a few feet above the ground.

"What is wrong with him?" Star asked worriedly.

"He smells funny," Beast Boy said, wrinkling his nose.

"_What _ are you _talking _about??" Raven said, her eyes glowing pure white as she held the spell.

"I meant he doesn't really smell like a human," the changeling said, folding his arms.

"Humans have a certain smell??" Cyborg asked.

"You do."

"Get to the point!" Raven snapped, a few beads of sweat trickling down her face. Toxin was putting up more of a resistance to her magic than she would have predicted, and it was starting to get to her.  
"Alright! Alright!" Beast Boy said, getting a little annoyed himself, "Humans usually have a distinct smell about them, as most animals do. But what I'm trying to tell you is: he doesn't smell like a human anymore. He reeks of Neanderthal."

"Probably has to do with whatever he's been pumped with," Cyborg said.

"So what do we do about it?" Raven asked.

"Knock him out," the part-animal, part-human male told her, "See how much he's sweating? The chemicals are practically being drained out of him! His liver must be working overtime. That could actually be dangerous if it doesn't all get out of his system soon." Beast Boy felt rather proud of himself. If there was one thing he knew more about than his teammates, it was anatomy. 

As if on cue, Amy returned with a physician armed with anesthetic in a syringe. The doctor stared, puzzled, at the black energy binding the young man, but at a quick nudge from the detective, chose not to ask questions. He stuck Toxin with the needle in the neck and he passed out almost instantly. Raven set him back down on the bed and wiped the sweat off of her forehead.

"How long will it take for the poison to leave him?" Star asked, standing over the unconscious form.

"We're looking into that," the doctor told her reassuringly. 

"What will you do with him once he is better?" she asked.

"He'll go back to Juvenile Hall to finish his sentence," Amy said, coming up beside her, then noticing Star's sad face, added, "I really don't have any choice in the matter. I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault," the Tamaran said, "We should probably go now." She turned and headed for the door.

"Nice seein' ya," Cyborg told the detective, "If anything unusual like this comes up again, you now where to find me." With that he trailed Starfire out of the room and Raven followed suit. Beast Boy gave the teenager on the bed a last, sickened look, then hurried to catch up with his super-hero teammates.

* * *

Once outside, Cyborg turned to Beast Boy, "Please tell me you were just _faking _being an idiot for once."

"What'd you mean? Being smart now makes me an idiot!?"

"No I mean _ before _you started spouting biology stuff," Cyborg said, "You _do _know who Tim Drake is, right?"

"Yes," he said indignantly, folding his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

"Right. So you _know_ that Tim Drake is Robin, right?" The larger male grilled Beast Boy, hovering threateningly over him.

"What? – I mean, of course I did!" 

Raven massaged her temples with both forefingers, willing herself not to say anything insulting, and then raised her head. "At least now we know Robin's here – it's unlikely that whoever kidnapped them would fly him all the way out here just to throw us off."

"Yeah. Now we just need to find a 'where'," Cyborg said, nodding.

"Perhaps we should return to the large trash receptacle where that young man was found," Starfire spoke up meekly.

"Worth a try," Beast Boy shrugged, "Do either of you remember where it was?"

"Sure I do!" Cyborg said, puffing out his chest, "Come on, I'll show y'all."

* * *

"Just looks like a normal, slimy, Gotham alleyway," the changeling said as they arrived (in a surprisingly short time).

"Smells like it too," Cyborg said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Not sure what we're looking for," Raven said, watching a rat scamper past her feet.

"Maybe there will be some clue as to who deposited that man here," Star said, peering into the shadows that covered the far end of the alley.

"Or maybe we'll all need a good bath after this," Beast Boy suggested, peering into the open and very foul dumpster.

"If only our motel had a shower that was clean enough to use," Raven said, turning slightly green. 

"Are you saying bugs are dirty?" the changeling asked resentfully, "I'll have you know that I got to know those cockroaches in the shower very well and they're very nice!"

"You _talk _to cockroaches??" Raven said, then shuddered, "That's it – I'm _definitely _never taking a shower in there…I'll never be able to tell if you're in there too…"

"I can't believe you would suspect me of being that perverted!" he said, turning crimson.

"I can't believe you two are arguing about this while we have a leader who needs rescuing," Cyborg said, "We can decide if Beast Boy's a peeping tom some other time, okay??"

"Fine," Raven and Beast Boy said together.

"There is nothing here," Starfire said sadly, abandoning her search of the oversized trash can and the surrounding area, "Let us return to our borrowed home." 

The other three looked at each other guiltily and nodded.

* * *

_'Where the heck- Oh, that's right… I'm still trapped here.'_ The Boy Wonder looked around, taking in the two guards standing at the door. He began to take himself in, noticing his broken gloves, his tattered cape, and the frayed edge of his collar. Robin could feel dried blood on his mouth and the sweat stains that blotted his shirt unceremoniously. He cracked his sore neck, questions swirling around his mind, "Hey, you!" the leader of the Teen Titans called, "Where's Ivy? Where's Penguin?"

The guards turned to look at him, surprised. "He's back to normal," said one with two black-eyes and a bandage over his nose.

"Better call 'em to bring down another shot," that the second man, pulling out a cell phone and sending a text message. "Don't worry, punk. Penguin and Ivy will be down to see you shortly."

"That's just fine. Seems you forgot to tie me up this time," Robin said, smirking, "Maybe it'll make the odds a little more even."

The guards chuckled, "Yeah…it'll even the odds alright…"

A few moments later, the sound a sliding door echoed through the dark chamber and Ivy and Penguin stepped out of the shadows. Ivy had a nearly-invisible band-aid across her collarbone and Penguin held a newspaper under one arm. "There he is," Ivy cooed, "And looking so much worse for the wear. But no wonder – you had a big night last night."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Robin asked, then he chuckled, "Your serum only lasted one night? Seems like a waste to me, but then Batman always said you had too much faith in your abilities as a chemist, Ivy."

She flushed and pulled a small black remote out of her pocket, slamming her thumb down on its only button.

A jolt of electricity went coursing through Robin's body, dropping him too his knees. After the pain began to subside, he realized there was a thin, black ring around his neck. He had missed that before. Why was he in so much pain? Even a shock of electricity shouldn't have hurt that much.

"Sooner or later you'll learn respect, boy," Ivy smirked, "Until then, Penguin has something he'd like to read to you."

Penguin unfolded the newspaper he was carrying and began to read aloud, "Missing Escapee Found: Recent Juvenile Hall fugitive Thomas Xinto was found yesterday night, abandoned and bloodied in the Dumpster between 22nd Street and Park Avenue. Causes of this disturbing event are as of yet unknown. Thomas is now resting in the hospital, in critical condition. Xinto was a former drug dealer attending therapy and rehabilitation whilst serving out his sentence in the minors' detention center." The criminal millionaire tossed the paper aside, "Your performance was brilliant, my young bird. You and Thomas had quite a go last night," Penguin laughed, putting his fists up as if he was a boxer, "An excellent display of fighting skills for the paying customers."

"I…what…?!?" Robin cried, struggling in vain to get to his feet once again, "What did you make me do?!"

"We didn't _ make _you do anything," Ivy said, "If we had had complete control, Thomas Xinto would be dead right now. That's what the customers want – and that's what we plan to give them." She put one hand on the bars of his cage, while the other hand held up the syringe full of familiar green liquid. "No matter _how _ many times we have to pump you with this – you will kill in the end. Even your noble mind can't fight it forever."

Realization dawned slowly on the Boy Wonder. He hadn't had control, at all. That was why he now wore this collar. But even then, they hadn't broken him. He had not killed, "What's the point of making me fight again? You can't make a person kill against their will," he backed up to the far edge of the cage, wanting to avoid the needle for as long as possible.

Ivy pulled the cage door open and stepped inside. "It's a funny thing – the human spirit," she said, "You hero-types never realize how fragile it is. But will learn in time. Once we find you an opponent who's really a challenge, it'll be kill or be killed – and your survival instincts are much too strong to let yourself die."

Penguin smiled, adjusting his monocle, "You're outnumbered and your brainless teammates haven't a clue as to our whereabouts. This will go much easier if you surrender now. You'll only cause yourself more pain and," he chuckled, "as they say in the entertainment business: the show must go on. You have another performance tonight, after all."

Robin ignored the pompous bird and glared at Ivy, ready for a fight, "What makes you think the drug will work any better than the last time?"

"I've made a few modifications, and I've increased the dosage," she said, squirting the air out of the syringe, "This whole process is just trial and error after all. Now you can either be a good little bird and hold still, or you'll force me to do this the hard way. And I'd hate to bring you to the audience already worn out."

Calculations ran through Robin's head, trying to weigh his options. Fighting would most likely be useless, as would taking Ivy or Penguin hostage. Villains had no morals; they'd just shoot their partner and be done with it. What had saved him last time? What had made him not kill? A picture formed in his head, making his cheek muscles twitch. _Starfire…_that was it. Robin sat down slowly, assuming a meditative position. Focus was key, "Do what you will. It won't matter," he told Poison Ivy, eyes closed.

"Very good," Ivy said, kneeling down beside him. She took hold of his arm and just like before, sunk the needle into the largest vein. A few agonizing seconds later, she removed it and rose once more. "We'll be back for you in a little while," she told him, "Try and get some rest."


	11. Chapter 11 And Then There Were Three

Author's Note: Sorry! I didn't realize I hadn't put the link in there! Here it is for real! 

And to ROBINROX: Please, in your review, try to comment on the actual story. You're hating Poison Ivy won't change our usage of her character, or have any effect on Robin's situation. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter 11

"And Then There Were Three"

The next week was agonizing for the Titans. Every night a new low-life was discovered in a back alley (and once even on the police station's doorstep), each one with a future as bleak as the last. Each one nearly dead. Each one's blood pumped with the strange drug. Each one bearing the blood of Timothy Drake on some part of them. Detective Leigh kept the Titans informed and updated, but it did little to help their cause. 

They were getting more discouraged by the day, and were all handling it a different way. Star had gone beyond worry and was practically in mourning. Cyborg was getting increasingly more agitated and hard to talk to. Raven was an unemotional mask as usual, and Beast Boy was doing his best to keep everyone's spirits up. They took turns patrolling the city, but never came back with anything but more clues that led to nothing. 

That Saturday night, as Cyborg hung up with Leigh, he had to keep himself from crushing the phone in frustration. He handed it roughly back to Beast Boy. "Add one Jonathan Hoffman to the list," he told Raven, who pulled out a notepad and jotted the name down.

"This is getting ridiculous," she said, clicking her pen shut and flipping backwards in the pad, "That makes six so far…and we still don't have a clue where they're coming from."

"Well…at least we know Robin's still alive," Beast Boy said weakly.

"Yeah, but how long's that gonna last?" Cyborg said irritably, "How long before it's Robin that shows up in one of those alleys?"

At that, Starfire rose and left the room, her face hidden by her hands. Raven shot Cyborg a look, "Go bring her back, will you?"

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Right…" Then he trudged out of the room after Star. She had barley made it to the top of the stairwell before she'd collapsed on the stairs, her whole body shaking with silent sobs. "Uh…Star…?" he said, approaching her tentatively, "Look, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get you upset again…it's just…I…aw, hell…I can't lie to ya, Star," he said, sitting down next to her as she looked up at him with wet eyes, "I did mean what I said in there…it sounds insensitive, I know…but it's what I've been thinking every time B's phone rings…"

"Me too…" she said softly, turning her gaze to the stairs, "I cannot stop thinking about what horrible things must be happening to him…" 

"Hey," he said, taking her chin in one hand and brushing her tears away with a large thumb, "He wouldn't want to see you like this, Star. He always talked about how much he loved your smile; about how pretty you were when you were happy. Can't ya smile for his sake? You know it's what he'd want."

Her eyes sparkled for the first time since Robin's capture and her lips curled upwards just slightly. 

"See? That's what I'm talking about," he said.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his cold, metallic waist. "Thank you, Cyborg," she said, "You a very good friend."

He blushed just a little and patted her head, "Thanks, Star. And don't worry, we'll find him. I know we can."

"Yes…" she nodded, "I do hope you're right."

"Excuse me," said a deep voice, causing both Star and Cyborg to look up in surprise. Batman was standing on the stairs that the two teen superheroes were blocking up. He raised an eyebrow at them and folded his arms, "We need to talk. All of us."

* * *

"The police have been hounding me about Tim Drake's whereabouts for days. They don't believe me when I tell them I haven't seen him in nearly five years," Batman said, now standing in the center of the small motel room, with the four Titans sitting around him, "You have to find him – and fast."

"A little help would be nice," Beast Boy muttered under his breath, "We're all outta ideas."

Batman glared at the younger, green-skinned boy, "Wherever he is, the information is being kept under lock-and-key," the vigilante reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small computer disk, "I don't think Ivy's working alone. There have been some very odd transaction's coming in and out of Oswald Cobblepot's bank account recently," the hero smirked, handing the disk to Cyborg, "On this you'll find the location for a certain aquatic, flightless bird's main office."

"Cobblepot?" Raven repeated, "The Penguin? Didn't you bust him for selling high-tech weaponry to Kasnia a few months ago? Why isn't he in prison?"

Batman stared at Raven glumly, "I thought you knew how this worked, Raven. He's a millionaire with friends in high places. Think hard, now."

"Right…" she said, turning pink and looking away. 

"So," Cyborg said, fingering the disk, "Looks like we need to send somebody on a stealth-mission." He glanced around at his teammates, "Who thinks they can handle it?"

"Ooh! Ooh! I so totally have that one covered!" Beast Boy's hand shot up in the air. All this waiting around had been driving him crazy; he needed to get out – to actually do something productive.

"Anyone else?" Cyborg asked blandly.

"Oh come on!" Beast Boy shouted angrily.

"Look, B – no offense, but stealth has never been your strong suit."

"When the four of you decide to grow up, get organized, and save Robin: let me know," Batman said, fuming. He walked towards the door, his patience for the teens on its last leg, "The longer you argue the more you put Robin in danger," he turned to look back at the surprised superheroes, teeth clenched, "And if something happens to him, let's just say Ivy and Penguin won't be the only ones who pay for it." The dark knight left the room, slamming the door behind him.

There was a long awkward silence, broken at last by Cyborg, "Think you can really handle this, B?"

The changeling wasn't looking at his robotic companion, but rather at the door, "Yeah."

* * *

Around midnight, a green hawk perched itself on the windowsill, staring into the top floor office of the Iceberg Lounge. _'This is the place…' _Beast Boy thought to himself, _'Looks deserted enough. Better get in and out quick, though.' _ He shrunk to a beetle and squeezed through the gap between the window and the sill. The room was large and smelt strangely of raw fish. He transformed into a small cat, and used its night-vision to his advantage, slinking under the birdman's desk and over to the large filing cabinets against the far wall.

To anyone that entered the room, it would have been laughable to see the tiny feline searching through the various drawers around the office. It wasn't easy looking through the many files, but the sensitive eyes and ears of a cat clearly gave him the advantage in this situation. He needed one report of a purchase, one location, something! It was taking far longer than he had had planned and looking through hardcopies wasn't getting him anywhere fast.

Abandoning the files, he leapt up on the fine wood desk and nudged the computer's mouse with his nose, finding with surprise that the computer had been in standby mode. _ 'This is almost too easy,' _he thought, as he perused the harddrive. A small icon entitled 'Taxes' caught his attention, and he opened it.

His eyes widened as a text document of a Prisoner Transfer Order appeared on the screen. _'This must be how they're getting the kids out of Juvey,' _he mused, _ 'If only it said where they take them…let's see…' _ As he scrolled down, sure enough, there was an address for a change-of-vehicles stop. _'That must be it.'_

The cat licked its lips in thought, then used its paw to scroll downward to the next page of information. This one appeared to be some sort of schedule, with a long list of names set up already. Each had a date next to it, and there was an address written under the list, _'This must be some sort of hit list,'_ Beast Boy thought, mildly taken aback, _'They have their targets all planned out and then they send them to this place.'_ The changeling scanned the file quickly, his eyes widening, _'There's one for tonight! If I get there soon, I could pull Robin outta there and shut them down today! Then the guys'll have to give me the respect I deserve!'_

Elated, the little cat leapt off the desk, becoming a beetle once again and skittering out of the window. As he emerged on the other side of the window, he became a hawk again and took off through the thick night air. 

* * *

A bird's eye view of the city enabled him to come upon his destination rather quickly, and he turned down in a steep dive, turning into his human form mere inches before he touched town softly on the asphalt. The address he'd come to looked like the entryway to an abandoned subway station. _'Creepy…' _he thought, as a shiver went down his spine, _'Okay Beast Boy, you gotta get tough now. No one ever looked up to a coward.' _ He straightened up, and headed down the dilapidated stairs, wondering what he would actually find. 

He grasped blindly for something to keep his balance, and his hand landed on the side railing. When he finally reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he realized that the stairway had gotten substantially less run-down. The railing under his hand was polished silver, and the cobwebs were non-existent. _'Weird…' _

The stairs broke off into two new sets moving upward, and one flat path straight ahead of him, where he could see a soft glow of light. He followed the corridor until it opened up into a huge expanse of dirt. _'It's an arena…' _he thought, gaping up at the stands steeped in shadows. His eyes finally landed on the soft spot of light in the middle of the room, and it brightened to a spotlight, shining down on a solitary figure. 

He walked closer and the features of the figure became clear. "Robin!" he cried aloud. It was their leader, standing tall, dried blood on his face and hands, and some sort of black collar around his throat. Beast Boy quickened his pace, "Dude! I can't believe I found you! The guys are gonna flip!" he said excitedly, reaching out to his friend, "Boy, am I glad to see you."

The leader of the Teen Titans broke into a savage grin and released a round-house punch that connected with the changeling's face, sending him sprawling backwards.

Beast Boy picked himself up of the dirt slowly, putting a hand up to his bleeding nose, "What the hell was _that _for?!?"

Robin took several steps forward and grabbed Beast Boy by the collar of his spandex. Suddenly, the collar around his neck erupted in sparks and he released the changeling, groaning in pain and dropping to his knees. Beast Boy watched in bewilderment, "What is going _on_??"

"Well, we can't have him crippling the competition too early, after all," came a refined voice. Penguin stepped into the light that Robin had been standing in, leaning on an umbrella casually.

"You're…Penguin?" the changeling guessed, glancing back and forth between the dapper little man and his old friend.

"Indeed," the stout man nodded, fiddling with his monocle, "Let's see…vacant stare, unimposing physique, green skin… Beast Boy, as we expected."

The changeling blushed furiously, "What do you mean 'expected'??"

The lights all flashed on and about a dozen guards revealed their positions in the stands, each armed with a dangerous-looking machine gun. The clicking of stiletto heels made the non-drugged men turn, and Beast Boy laid eyes on Poison Ivy for the first time. She was dressed in sleek green and black leather, with a small black box in one hand and a collar like Robin's in the other. "He's quite punctual, isn't he, Ozzy?"

"Impeccably so!" the squat man chortled.

"We couldn't thank you enough for running so willingly to us, Beast Boy," Ivy said, coming up beside the Penguin, "It makes life so much easier."

"But…but… how did you know I'd be coming here?" he asked incredulously, backing away from his still panting friend. The guards moved their weapons to follow his movements.

"My dear boy, you are more brainless than even _I _imagined," Penguin said, "Did you honestly think that my offices did not have security surveillance?? By the way, you make a ridiculous-looking cat."

"He was adorable, though, wasn't he?" Ivy cooed, stepping closer and pinching the changeling's cheek. A bloodied hand rested itself on her shoulder and she turned. Robin was standing behind her, glaring at her sternly. She smirked at him, "Do you actually recognize this creature?" she asked.

[Horrible green female hunt non-threat. No good.] The Boy Wonder merely continued to stare at Ivy, growling low in his throat.

"Hmph," she frowned, "Seems his latest dosage is starting to wear off." She took his hand and removed it gently from her shoulder, "I'm not going to hurt him," she said sweetly, "But you will. Soon." She raised the remote and tossed the collar to one of the nearest guards, "Get that on the newbie."

Beast Boy tensed, watching the man with the collar. When he approached, the changeling jumped the man and twisted his arm behind his back in a rather harsh way. The man yelped and dropped the collar his hand been holding. If he couldn't save Robin here and now, he'd at least be able to get back to the others and tell them about this place, "Nobody move!"

Excited, Robin charged at Ivy, but she pressed the button on the remote instantly and he dropped to his knees again. "Will somebody do something, please??" she snapped.

Penguin sighed, watching dully as the guards began to confuse themselves into submission. He whipped up his parasol and pointed it down at the leader of the Teen Titan's cranium, "Drop him, you filthy beast, unless you want your friend to have a bullet in his head."

"Thank you, Ozzy," Ivy said, releasing the button, leaving Robin gasping in pain in the dirt.

Beast Boy cursed under his breath and released the guard. His getting away wasn't worth them shooting Robin. A different guard picked up the collar and snapped it around his neck quickly. 

* * *

It was a simple task, breaking into buildings. It seemed so routine now, after years of gathering intelligence to try to take down the criminals. Penguin's office was suspiciously quiet and empty. It was strange, though, seeing as the computer screen was still lit up. Batman needed only to glance at the monitor to realize what had happened, "That idiot!" He pulled out his Bat grapple and opened the window that sat behind the Penguin's desk. If he was lucky, it wouldn't be too late. But all the luck he'd had as of late had been hard luck…

* * *

"And here's where you'll be staying," Ivy said, as the guards gave Beast Boy a hard shove into a cage similar to the one they were simultaneously tossing Robin into. Penguin held up a mini-briefcase to her and she snapped it open, pulling out a fresh syringe. "Now I'll ask you nicely to be a good boy and sit still," she said, stepping into the cage after him, "I don't want to have to hurt you more than necessary."

"I'm sure that's such a terrible burden on you," Beast Boy said, rolling his eyes. It was a subconscious movement, but the young man took a step back out of animal instinct, wary of the needle.

"Oh, it does pain me to see you both like this," she said, running a hand through his hair, "But…the paying customers must be satisfied." With this, she grabbed his arm, pushed up the sleeve and plunged the needle in.

Beast Boy let out a howl of pain that morphed into a roar as his vocal chords transformed without the rest of his body. He'd always hated shots, but he'd never realized one could hurt this damn much! When she retracted the syringe he clamped one hand over the spot where it had been, blinking back tears that blurred his vision. He felt Ivy stroke his head again and he swiped at her blindly.

She backed away quickly, having learned her lesson the last time. "Bye for now, boys," she said, placing the syringe back in its case as the guards shut the changeling in his cage. Then she left the room.

Penguin smiled at the young lad from his chair near the doorway, "Too easy."

"Did you really expect getting that one would be hard?" Ivy said with a small laugh, as the pair disappeared into the elevator.

* * *

The Batmobile pulled up along side the curb at the address on Penguin's computer screen. He leapt out of the car, and spotted the subway stairs instantly. Like a shadow, he floated down them, stopping just before the bottom to listen. Not a sound except for his own breathing. The place was deserted. The air was moist; even in the dark he could sense the immense size of the room. He could only imagine what it must look like filled with the Gotham's rich and demented. _ 'Damn.' _He returned to the surface, and slid back into the Batmobile. It was time to pay the Titans another visit.


	12. Chapter 12 Final Performance

Author's Note: Ok, I've realized now (http://) that fanfiction.net doesn't (www.) like links in it's (invader-sam.) documents so (deviantart.) I'm hiding it in my clever (com/) secret code here. I'm genius!

Anyway, sorry for the delay, but this chapter is a bit longer than all the others have been. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 12

"Final Performance"

A sudden breeze blowing in from their window roused Raven from a very light sleep. She lifted herself up on her elbows, and glanced over Starfire's sleeping form at the clock. 2:30 AM. _'I know I didn't leave that open.' _She waved a hand at it, and black energy shut the window for her with a soft clatter. Content with her work, she let her head sink back on her pillow. Her eyes had almost closed again, when she noticed to pale white slits staring down at her. Biting her tongue to keep from screaming, she sat up, rubbing her eyes to make sure they weren't playing trick on her. "Batman?" she whispered, "What are you -?"

There was never any sense in beating around the bush, especially in delicate matters, "Beast Boy won't be coming back, not on his own free will at least."

"What?" she asked, "I don't understand - it was a simple reconnaissance mission. What could've happened?"

"What is going on.?" Starfire asked sleepily

"Batman??" came Cyborg's voice from the darkness, "What the-?"

"Shush!" Raven said quickly. The last thing they needed was for Bruce to get angry again and leave before explaining.

The Dark Knight folded his arms, "He found Robin's location, but instead of reporting back like he was supposed to, he went to try to save Robin on his own. Thing's didn't work out."

Emotion flickered across Raven's face for an instant before her expression became stony once again, "Idiot."

"I must say, that was my first reaction," Bruce stated, then began to pace around the room slowly, "Though I wasn't able to follow Beast Boy in time to stop him from walking into a pretty obvious ambush, I did find out where he went," Batman stopped walking and looked down at Raven, "So we'll be able to get them back, if we plan correctly," he could tell from the one brief flicker that crossed her face that she cared more for Beast Boy than she let on.

"I'm open to suggestions," she said, strictly business, not liking at all the way he was looking at her.

"We'll talk later," he said, "Meet me in the Batcave." With a swirl of his cape and he exited through the window. Raven pulled her knees up to her chest, and shut it after him.

There was several seconds of awkward silence, prompting Cyborg to speak up, "C'mon, Raven, you know you miss Beast Boy. You're worried about him," He got up and stood as tall as he could, folded his arms, and glared down at her, "The Dark Knight knows all!" he said, making his voice unnaturally deep.

"Shut up!" she shouted, grabbing her pillow and tossing it at his head.

He caught it in one hand, throwing it lightly back at her, "Raven and BB, sittin' in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-" The pillow was thrown more forcefully the second time, hitting his square in the face.

"Raven - is it really that serious already between you?" Starfire asked, looking excited.

"No!" Raven cried, now bright red, "Absolutely not!"

Outside the window, down on one knee, Batman sighed, "Kids."

* * *

The Titans arrived at Wayne Manor at 9:00 the next morning, looking somber. Despite the light-hearted antics of the night before, the seriousness of the situation and Batman's offer of help had transformed them. They followed Alfred to the grandfather clock in the study in silence, and hardly noticed the grand scheme of the cave they descended into. 

"They're here, sir," Alfred said, as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Batman was seated at his supercomputer, rapidly punching in keys. He merely nodded, not taking his eyes off the large screen.

"I'll leave you to it, then, shall I?" Alfred said, retreating back up the staircase to the upper levels of the manor.

Raven walked up beside Bruce's high-backed chair, gazing up at the enormous screen. "That's where they are?" she guessed, gesturing towards the illuminated blue-prints.

"Right. These are the plans for that supposedly 'abandoned' subway station. I'll give Penguin credit for using the place; it isn't a very suspicious looking area, but its run-down appearance is enough to ward off normal passersby," Batman told her, nodding slightly.

"There must be other entrances, though," Cyborg added, scanning the blueprints, "The place is huge - must hold over tenthousand people, at least. There's no way they could all go in one entrance unnoticed."

"10,579, actually. And as for the entrances: I'm looking."

"I am still confused," Star said, "What is it that Robin is forced to do in this place?"

"Gladiator battles, judging by the stadium set-up," Raven said.

"Not to mention all the juvenile delinquents that are fillin' up the hospital," Cy added.

Batman smiled slightly, "I believe Robin is the main attraction. I'd imagine Ivy and Penguin charge admission for the entertainment and betting opportunities, making them a truckload each night."

"How horrible," Star said.

"It's disgusting," Raven spat.

"Let's keep the emotional outbursts to a minimum," The Dark Knight chided, "The more we stay focused, the quicker we can save them."

Both girls nodded, "Right."

Cyborg tapped his chin with a forefinger for a moment before asking, "Batman - should we be involving the cops in this? I mean, if we bust this place when it's full, it's gonna be chaos. Do you think they might be able to help, you know, with crowd control?"

"I'll talk to Commissioner Gordon, but I doubt it will do any good. Police information tends to leak a lot more often than you'd think, especially in this town."

The android nodded, unable to think of anything else to say at the present time. It was Raven who spoke again a brief moment later. "So.what type of rescue did you have in mind.sir?" she added politely, "Is there a way we can get in and get the boys out before all the 'customers' start arriving?"

"There's likely only going to be guards left for the entrance, so getting in after a fight has started will most likely be the easiest," Batman turned around, staring at the three of them, "Bruce Wayne could get in with the customers if he wanted to, but there's no way in hell Penguin or Ivy would allow you three to get into the arena."

"There's gotta be a back entrance somewhere," Cyborg said, searching the blueprints again, "'Cuz there's no way we're not comin' along."

"I know that," he agreed, obviously deep in thought, "Now look -" he highlighted a few areas around the arena's perimeter, "These are all subway entrances like the first one I found. It looks like they've taken over almost half of the abandoned system, maybe more."

"This isn't gonna be easy." Raven sighed.

* * *

Robin slowly paced around his square, angular cage, hands behind his back. His eyes were no longer able to focus on just the fat, ugly male with the box. Several feet away from his cage, another predator like himself was lashing about rabidly. [Stupid, fat, ugly male. Try to take Robin again. Robin kill male.]

Beast Boy was ramming into the cage bars like a savage, saliva dripping out of his open mouth (large, pointy canine teeth visible) quickly. His new outfit was quite a mess already: in his blind fury he'd torn his jacket to pieces, and there were bits of his shirt bitten off and scratches where his teeth had dug further than necessary into the cloth. 

He was beyond thought now - the chemicals had had an even worse effect on him than they had on the other boys, seeing as his mind was part-animal to begin with. Frustrated at being contained he slid to the floor, panting and whimpering like an abused puppy. 

By the door, the guard with the broken nose looked down at his belt suddenly, his beeper making its irritating noises, "Shit. It's the boss," he said, looking at his partner wearily.

"Wonder what they want," the second shrugged.

"I'll go find out," the first said, heading for the elevator.

"Hey - don't leave me alone with these things!" the second cried, racing after him, "They'll be fine for two minutes, won't they?"

"Most likely."

The hiss of the elevator door opening and closing again sounded and the guards were gone, leaving the former Titans alone. Both boys noticed a subtle change in the air seconds later and turned. A black figure was gliding towards them and they both tensed. Beast Boy let out a wolf-like bark and the figure lowered its hood, revealing a shock of purple hair and wide eyes.

"My God." she whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Quickly she kneeled in front of Beast Boy's cage. "Gar - Gar, can you hear me? It's Raven - we're going to get you out of here - both of you."

The young man snapped at her, his animal instincts registering this new development as a possible threat. Robin ignored her. She was not the pretty lady.

Raven leaned back instinctively, searching his face, desperately hoping to find some trace of the man she knew he was. But there was nothing; his eyes were clouded over and he continued to growl at her. "Beast Boy." she murmured sadly, then turned to the other cage, "Robin.I know you don't remember me.but I wish there was a way to know you're both still yourselves.somewhere in there." She got to her feet, looking from one to the other sadly.

The Boy Wonder merely turned away from her, no longer even mildly interested in the newcomer's appearance. 

For a moment, Raven considered breaking the locks of the cages then and there, but she wasn't sure if she could handle them both if they attacked her - especially in their current conditions. Besides, Bruce had told her that she was only to get herself in position for their strike. She pulled her hood up quickly and fled the room.

* * *

"So.this is it," Ivy said, spreading her arms majestically as she leaned back on the couch in Penguin's office, "Our last night in this city.and not a hitch yet."

Penguin was tapping rapidly on his keyboard, "I can't say I don't expect the Batman to try something tonight. Is security in place?" he asked, not looking up from his work.

"Yes, I just spoke with the guards and they're all ready," she said, rolling over onto her stomach, "The crowd's beginning to fill in as well. Looks like we'll have a full house tonight."

"Good. And our departure plans?"

"All finalized," she said, "As soon as we collect tonight's profits we'll begin our nation-wide tour."

"And hopefully leave the Bat in the dust," Oswald stood up slowly, picking up his umbrella, "Shall we get set for tonight's events? I imagine it will be a night to remember!"

"Let's shall," she rolled up off of the couch and onto her feet, swinging her red hair back loftily, "And I couldn't agree with you more."

* * *

"It's time," came Ivy's voice over the guard's cell phone, "Get the boys into their places."

"Right." 

The phone was closed as a dozen more guards moved into the cage-room, each carrying one of a variety of weapons for submission-purposes. The cage doors were opened and before the boys could make their attack, their collars were activated, and chains snapped around their neck, and their hands bound. The guards' larger number worked to their advantage and it wasn't long before they had the drugged-Titans moving slowly, reluctantly off in opposite directions. 

At the end of a long dark hallway, the guards un-hooked the chains from around Beast Boy, shoved him into what looked like a dead-end and then slid a thick wall shut behind him. Glad to be free and angry at being closed in again, he slammed his body against the new wall, but to no avail. Soft noise reached his ears and he pressed up against the dead-end wall. The dull roar of a herd.a large herd.he licked his lips in anticipation, his stomach rumbling loudly.

Through the wall, out in the stands, Starfire was seated among the businessmen and gangsters, dressed in a black skirt-suit, with tights, gloves, and well-applied cover-up hiding the unnatural color of her skin. Her hair was drawn up in a sophisticated knot and her hands were folded in her lap. Beside her sat Bruce Wayne. Getting in had been a simple matter of creating a fake ID for her and disguising her skin. She stared out at the dusty arena and felt a small shiver run down her spine as she noticed the scattered blood stains on the ground and walls. Her grief over Robin seemed even more real now. But she had to stay calm, and confident. She couldn't give herself away before it was time.

She felt a hand on hers and looked up to see Bruce giving her the faintest smile. There was such strength behind his eyes; she now knew where Robin got it from. _'He wants to be sure I will control myself.' _she thought, _'I cannot let him down - I realize now why Tim admires him.' _She nodded and turned back to the arena, swallowing the large lump that was catching in her throat. She wanted so much to prove her worth to him that night. His approval had become very important to her in a short amount of time.

Locked in another dead-end chamber, Robin stood stock still, listening to the voices outside. [Robin knows what comes. New predator was non-threat. Now is threat.] The pretty woman's face floated through his mind and he felt a strange, sad twisting in his stomach. [Robin not found female. Robin find female or die.] He heard the familiar voice of the hated green-woman and he tensed. [Doors open now. Robin find female now or die.]

The wall in front of him slid slowly open, and he was blinded briefly by the spotlights above the arena. The noise of the masses rose as he stepped out onto the field. He glanced around at them dully, and then he caught a whiff of the other predator. He had been loosed and was bounding towards the center of the ring.

Up in the stands, Star squeezed Bruce's hand to keep from crying out. Why did they have to sit and watch this? She wanted to shut her eyes, to turn away, anything, but she couldn't. Her eyes were glued to the form of her lover, a thousand thoughts spinning around in her head. 

The former leader of the Teen Titans braced himself for impact, but the other male changed, becoming a burlier, snarling creature. [Bear-!] With a swipe from his paw, the enormous green mammal sent Robin crashing towards the other side of the arena, several large claws slashes causing particularly painful chest wounds.

Beast Boy returned to his human form, not even realizing that he had changed and licked some blood off of his fingertips. This hunt was getting off to a very good start. 

Star bit her lip anxiously.

Robin leapt up, trying to ignore his bleeding torso. The prey was distracted. He took two quick steps and thrust his fist forward, connecting with the creature's chin.

Beast Boy was sent sprawling backwards, landing face-first in the dirt, his abnormally sharp canines puncturing his lower lip in the process. He rose again, licked the blood off his lips and the made for another assault, this time becoming a tiger. The crowd roared with excitement as the beast felled the Boy Wonder. 

Starfire turned to look at Bruce for some sort of sign, but he had gone. It would be soon.but how much longer could she wait? The green tiger had one paw on Robin's throat, choking him. Her hands flew over her mouth unintentionally as she watched.

Robin gasped for breath, trying to avoid the surrounding darkness. All would be over soon. Non-threat was too strong; no longer nice non-threat. He kicked and flailed with his legs, trying to dislodge the larger, more dangerous predator, but to no avail. [Robin no find pretty lady now.]

At that moment, there was a rushing wind and a black blur came crashing into the tiger, knocking him across the floor. 

"Raven!" Star cried, leaping to her feet and then taking off into the air as the men around her watched in numb astonishment. She landed in the ring just as the tiger picked itself up. She glanced between Raven and Robin briefly.

"I can handle it!" Raven shouted at her, "Take care of Robin!" 

"Right!" Star was at his side in an instant, lifting him into a sitting position, cradling his head against her chest, "Robin.thank the gods." she choked, "I thought I would never see you again."

His breath was raspy, but the pain was gone at last. His bleary eyes focused in and out on the vision of female loveliness he had long searched for. He reached out a bruised and battered hand, touching her lightly on the cheek. Silent tears fell softly down his face, and though he tried to communicate to her, there was no way. Robin's feelings remained masked behind his poisonous veil, but the creature moved the muscles in his mouth a very unfamiliar way: a smile. Behind them, Raven grappled with Beast Boy, who was now a wolf, trying not to hurt him, but also not wanting to get killed. She bound him in black magic and with a surge of mental energy, forced him back into his human form. He would be much easier to fight if he stayed that way.

The crowd was roaring with a mix of anger and excitement at the new complication (despite the problems it caused to their bidding situation). From their spots hidden in the crowd, two bodyguards (the leader of the gang of crooks and a single crony) stood and took aim down at the arena with their machine guns, signaling at least four dozen others to scramble towards the fighting ring. Before the leader could finish pulling the trigger (aimed at the Boy Wonder's rescuer), the light above him shattered, dimming the entire area. The man looked up, his eyes filled with dread. Dropping from the ceiling like a horrible bird of prey, the outline of a large, black bat was visible for only a second. The Dark Knight landed upon him feet first, breaking his nose and sending the man into unconsciousness, his gun slipping from his limp fingers onto the ground.

With a flick of his wrist, a Batarang had sliced the second hired thug's gun into two. Frightened, the man dashed off. Batman turned and fired a Bat-grapple towards the large spectators' box above the normal seating, where a surprised Ivy and Penguin sat. The metal hook shattered the glass between the two super villains, attempting to latch onto anything strong enough.

"Damn him!" Ivy shouted. She grabbed her cell phone as Penguin used his flame-thrower/umbrella to burn the rope that the Caped Crusader was hanging from. "Get rid of the intruders!! They're ruining everything!!"

In response to her command, more guards emerged from their posts, pouring down the stairwells that opened up into the arena, and gunfire erupted across the field. As Raven grappled with Beast Boy, she shouted over her shoulder, "Star!! You've gotta get Robin out of here!!"

Starfire rose, holding her beloved in her arms, "But what about you??"

"I'll be fine! I can handle it! Just go!" the Azarath cried. Just as Star took to the air, a new rain of bullets came down on them. One sailed right through Beast Boy's right arm and grazed Raven's left. The changeling let out a pained howl and reeled back, clutching his bleeding arm. Raven moved towards him, but he lashed out at her, clearing frightened now.

Batman managed to land gracefully on his feet, glaring angrily up at the viewing booth. One hand began to search through his utility belt, looking for something useful in the current situation. The Dark Knight heard a tiny _'crunch!'_ behind him, whipped around on one foot, and threw his fist out, smashing an approaching guard in the face. The man crumpled to the ground, cudgel still clasped tightly in his right hand. Resuming his previous work, Batman fished out several smoke bombs from his belt and heaved them up towards the broken glass.

Ivy fell back against her chair as she tried to avoid the projectiles. They hit the floor and walls around her and soon the entire room was filled with smoke. With one hand over her mouth and coughing, she continued to shout into her cell phone at the guards.

Oswald Cobblepot stood up, attempting fruitlessly to wave away the billowing gray smog from around him. Over the commotion (and Ivy's orders), he managed to hear the ring of his own cell. Curious as to who would be calling at such a time, he picked it up, "What?" he snapped impatiently.

"Boss!" came the husky voice of one of the few guards posted outside the perimeter, "Da copses are surroundin' da place! They ain't found the backdoor yet, tho. Your car's still waitin' der."

Penguin's eyes widened. He glanced over at Ivy, to make sure she was still occupied, then spoke quickly into the mouthpiece, "Meet me there in five minutes." He snapped the miniature machine closed, then began to back away slowly, using the smoke to his advantage.

Raven had Beast Boy backed up against a wall, while Starfire had to concentrate her energy blasts to emit them from her eyes as both hands were preoccupied with holding Robin. Raven raised both hands, one out to her side, ready to ward off guards the instant they came near, and the other towards the changeling. _'I have to find a way into his mind,' _she thought desperately, _'I have to make him understand that I'm not the one who wants to hurt him.' _A pulse-wave of telepathic energy shot from her palm and enveloped him. _'Please, let him hear me.'_

Most of the crowd had already dispersed, scared by the bullets and the appearance of the Batman. The world's greatest detective looked down at the arena, where the large amount of guards were pouring fire at the Titans. He turned his head back, looking up at where he knew Ivy and Penguin were. There was no time to debate which course to take. With a mighty leap, he cleared the railing that separated the arena and the first row of seats, dropping down five feet and landing on several of the armed thugs. 

Both young women felt his presence, but neither became distracted by it. Star lowered herself closer to him, so that they could form a stronger offense against the guards, whose number was slowly starting to dwindle. 

* * *

"Looks like the party's letting out early," Amy said, climbing out of her squad car as a mass of Gotham's social-elite began pouring out of the subway entrance. She lifted a walkie-talkie to her mouth and said, "Round up as many as you can. Don't worry if some get away - it's inevitable." She glanced over at the taller figure leaning against his own high-tech car and smiled wryly. "You ready to get the bed guys?"

Cyborg grinned and stood upright, cracking his neck, "I been ready! Man, how can you cops stand all this waitin'? I think I'd go nuts!"

She smiled, pulling her gun out of her shoulder holster. "We're trained for it - it's the final exam at the Academy. Now come on, we've got work to do."

The android nodded and followed after her, almost skipping with happiness at his chance for action.


	13. Chapter 13: Recovering Lost Time

Chapter 13

"Recovering Time Lost"

The smoke was clearing, the stands were empty, there were fallen guards scattered everywhere. Ivy put her face in her hands. It was over now, there was nothing left to try. The cops were quickly filing into the arena. _'At least I won't be going down alone this time,' _she thought bitterly, glancing over at where Penguin _ should _have been. 

There was nothing in the spot but his empty chair.

* * *

Nearly everyone in the arena looked up in surprise at the sudden scream of rage that echoed out from the spectator's box. Leigh shook her head, "Someone go and get her."

* * *

Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot sighed, finally letting go of his parasol and laying it down in the seat next to him. The limousine was quiet as usual, but the sounds of his own regret-filled thoughts enveloped the small space more than he thought possible. Once again, so close, but no cigar. Ivy would be going back to Arkham, so she surely wouldn't need her share of the profits. That was, at the least, a small (or large, depending on the beholder's view of the value of a dollar) consolation prize. There would always be time for another plan, another scheme. But not tonight…

* * *

Everything was winding down. Robin had passed out long ago, but Star showed no signs of fatigue from carrying him. Quite the opposite in fact; she absolutely refused to let him go. Raven was still working on calming Beast Boy, with some slow signs of progress. The guards were being rounded up by the police and Amy was personally seeing to the carting-off of Poison Ivy. She was raving almost beyond comprehension, screaming as they dragged her off that she was going to kill the Penguin with her own bare hands for deserting her.

Leigh sighed as she slammed the door of the Arkham van and then descended the stairs into the arena once again. The night had been more successful than she had hoped. They hadn't gotten many of the spectators, but she hadn't expected to. There was no way the D.A. could handle trying them all anyway. She approached Star slowly and followed her gaze to where Raven and Beast Boy were.

The Goth was on her knees, hugging the changeling close to her. Beast Boy had his face buried in her chest, and his back was rising and falling quickly with animalistic sobs. She kissed the top of his head gently, and hung her head.

"The boys will both need to be taken to the hospital," Amy said quietly.

"No," came a strong voice from behind her. Batman was approaching, shaking his head slightly at the officer of the police force, "I'll take care of them."

"Are you really sure that's –" she began but stopped short after one stern look from him, "Of course…" she nodded, feeling the color rise in her face, "I'll leave you to it, then." She turned and headed back towards the stairs, stopping only for a moment when she passed Cyborg. "It was nice workin' with ya, Cy," she said, "We'll have to do it again sometimes."

He smiled, "Yeah. If you're ever in Jump City look me up, alright?"

"I'll do that," she said, "It's the big tower in the middle of the bay that's shaped like a 'T', right?"

"That's the place," he said, "Kinda hard ta miss it."

She put a hand on his arm, "See ya 'round," then began jogging up the stairs to the street.

* * *

The world slowly came into focus in front of Robin's eyes as he awoke. It was a local he hadn't seen in years: the high, stalactited ceiling of the Batcave. He tried to sit up, but a jarring pain shot through his entire body and he laid back down quickly.

"Well, look who's up," came a familiar voice and he forced his head to turn to his left. Beast Boy was grinning, lying in a hospital-like bed beside him, covered in bandages. "Welcome back, dude."

"What happened to you?" Robin asked.

"Alfred said I got a bullet through the arm," he said, almost proudly, "I don't remember it though…I was, kind of out of it at the time…"

"What'd you mean?" the leader of the Teen Titans asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Beast Boy blushed as a third voice answered for him, "He means that, in an act of rash bad judgment, he rushed off to your rescue, Master Tim, only to wind up a prisoner himself." Alfred had appeared at Robin's side, changing the bag of donated blood that was flowing slowly into the Boy Wonder's veins through a small plastic tube.

Robin groaned, smirking a bit, "Not that surprising, Alfred. It's good to see you, by the way."

"The feeling is mutual, Master Tim," the old man said with a smile, "Though I would prefer our meetings did not have to be when you are in this sort of condition." He pulled a wet rag out of a basin of water and washed the young man's face with it. 

"Wouldn't we all, Alfred?" Bruce Wayne asked, walking down the stairs towards the small group.

"Yes, Master Bruce," Alfred nodded, "I shall go and alert the others of Timothy's reinstatement into the world of the conscious." He turned towards the stairs, leaving Bruce alone with the boys.

"Hey, old man," Robin said, grinning up at his mentor, "Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has. Longer, apparently, than I should have let it be," the boy billionaire said warily, eyeing his bruised and beaten former partner.

Robin turned his eyed downward, blushing, "Guess you had to bail me out, huh? Just like old times?"

Bruce opened his mouth, his harsh words he had recited sticking to his tongue, unable to come out. Watching his shamed tyro, the older man felt something he had not expected: pity. He sighed and watched as the two female members of the Teen Titans came flying (literally) down the stairs, followed by the large, lumbering android. _ 'I must be getting old…'_ Bruce thought to himself, knowing he had missed his chance. Instead, he just smiled at Robin, "_Just_ like old times.

"Robin!" Star cried, flinging herself on his chest, and pressing her lips to his, "I am so glad you are conscious at last!"

"Down Star, give him some room to breathe," Cyborg said.

Raven just shook her head and floated over closer to Beast Boy.

Robin gasped in pain, but tried to ignore it as best he could. He was really back. Back amongst his friends and family. Back with Starfire, at last. Her kiss was like a little piece of heaven granted to the hell that was now his body.

Star stroked his face tenderly, tears welling in her eyes. "We are all so happy to have you with us again," she said.

"Both of you," Raven added quietly, putting a hand on Beast Boy's uninjured arm.

"Thanks…" Robin said, "How long have I been out anyway?"

"You mean since you got kidnapped, or just since we saved your butt?" Cyborg asked.

"The first one."

"Almost two weeks."

"Two weeks??" he cried, "Aww, jeez…did I miss anything important?"

"Well, Cyborg's got a cop for a girlfriend," Beast Boy said.

"It's not like that, okay??" the android cried.

"He said 'anything _important'_, Gar," Raven muttered.

"Anyway…" Robin tried again, "You guys caught Penguin and Ivy, right?"

The two females and robot gave each other quick glances before Cyborg spoke, "We got Ivy. She's back up in Arkham now."

"And Penguin?" Robin asked tentatively.

"Like we said…we got Ivy," Raven said.

"Oh come on, guys!"

"There was nothing we could do," Star said quickly, "The waterfowl man was not in the building when the police arrived."

"They searched the perimeter, but couldn't turn up anything," Cyborg said, "He covered his tracks."

"There's no incriminating evidence against him either," Raven said, "According to every source, he wasn't involved."

"Goddammit…" Robin spat.

Bruce Wayne shrugged, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I'm just glad that you're all okay now. Penguin will get his."

"As they all do, in the end," Alfred added, appearing once again among them, "Now perhaps we could turn our attention towards relocating the young masters up to more comfortable rooms in the house. I always felt that the draft in the cave impeded a quick recovery."

Bruce Wayne nodded, "I'm sure we can find some place for them. After all, there are only 200-plus rooms in this place."

* * *

When Robin had packed his things and left the Manor five years ago, he had wondered if he would ever see it again. Now that he was back in his old room, in his own bed, it was as if he'd never left. He settled back against the feather pillows, he sighed. There was a soft knock on his door. "Come on in."

The door opened and Star stepped in, dressed in calm civilians clothes: blue jeans and a long-sleeve lavender T-Shirt. She shut the door behind her and smiled at him, "I hope I am not disturbing you."

He smiled, "No, not at all." It was a pleasure just getting to talk to Star again. She had been the reason the drug Ivy gave him hadn't made him completely insane.

She sat down beside him on the bed, placing a hand over his. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," Robin told her, looking up into her eyes, "Better."

"I do wish there was some way I could help to ease your pain," she said sincerely, squeezing his hand.

"I might be able to think of a way or two," he told her, eyes beginning to drift from their lock with hers.

She followed his gaze down to her chest and she smiled in spite of herself. "Is that so?" she asked, lying down beside him, "Do you really think you are strong enough yet?"

WWBD? "I think so. It'll be a good test, won't it?"

"I think I will be gentle…just to be on the safe side," she said, rolling on her side and kissing him.


	14. Chapter 14: Reflections and the Return t...

Chapter 14

"Reflections and the Return to Normality"

In the room next door, Raven was sitting in a cushioned chair beside Beast Boy's bed, her nose buried in a dark-covered book. The changeling was in bed, slightly discouraged. This was probably the most uneventful and uncomfortable visit he had ever had. Neither of them had said anything in over an hour and for all Raven knew (engaged in whatever fascinating reading material he wasn't privy to) he could have been dead. Something had to be done, "What'cha readin' Rae?" 

She jumped slightly, having seemingly forgotten she wasn't alone, and blushed. "Something from Bruce's library," she said quietly, hugging the still open book close to her chest, as if she didn't want the words to leap off their pages.

"What's it about?" he asked slyly, trying to get a good look at the title of the novel.

"N-nothing…" she stammered, turning an even deeper red.

"What kind of nothing?"

"The kind of nothing I don't want to talk about with you," she said.

"Ohhhhh…so, Robin-and-Starfire 'nothing', eh?" Beast Boy asked, pointing at the wall behind him, "I never knew you were into that kinda reading, Raven. You naughty little girl, you." He finished, putting one mocking hand up to his mouth.

Without thinking, she threw the book at him angrily.

He managed to catch the flying piece of literature with his good hand and let it fall on his legs, opening to a page that made his eyes widen, "That looks dirty…" he commented mildly, scanning an image on the page. Casually, he flipped over to the next page (entitled: Chapter 4: Maximizing Pleasure while Minimizing Effort!) and began to read.

"Give that back!!!" she cried, panicked, reaching for the book. Damn her curiosity! Why had she even _thought _to pull that off the shelf?? She should have known something like this would happen! And now who knew what would happen next?

"But I'm just looking-" he started, trying keep the novel away from her by twisting his body around. This action proved to be a mistake, and he dropped the book as a jolt of pain went coursing through his right arm, "Owww!"

"Omigod!" her anger dissolved instantly and she clambered on the bed next him, "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just made a wrong turn, ya know?" he told her, smiling weakly and blinking back tears that had rushed to the scene to embarrass him.

She gingerly put a hand on his arm, "I am _so _sorry…I don't know what I was thinking…I just…didn't want you to know I'd been reading _that_…"

"Yeah, I know. I was just playing with you." 

"Great…now I feel bad…" she muttered, hanging her head.

"Don't be," he used his left hand to hand the book back to her, "Here."

"Gods…" she said, taking it back and setting it, closed, in her lap, "Bet you thought I wouldn't be caught with trash like this in my hands? The more I think about, the more pathetic it seems."

"I never thought you'd actually read about things like this, but I had hoped you might think about every once in a while," he told her, twiddling his thumbs and staring up at the ceiling.

"More now than ever before…" she said, "And I don't know what image of me this might shatter, but I've started reading because…I really wouldn't have any idea what I was doing if we ever…you know…" her voice trailed off and she buried her face in her hands, "I can't believe I just told you that…"

Beast Boy laughed a bit nervously, "Hey, the only reason I'd know is 'cause I can cheat. Animal instincts and all that," he put a hand on hers, moving it away from her face, "And until you're ready for that kinda stuff, I'm cool with your decisions." He was only vaguely aware that this sort of thing wouldn't seem like him to say, but he had to make sure Raven knew he was serious about this subject.

"Thank you," she said, leaning in and pressing her lips to his, "I appreciate it. And I'll be sure to let you know when I'm ready."

"Good." That'll be one fine day…

"Until then," she said, snaking her arms around his neck, "This'll have to do…" She kissed him again, good and long.

They broke away after a moment. Beast Boy grinned, going slightly red, "I think that'll be just fine…"

* * *

Cyborg leaned forward on the railing of one of the many balconies jutting off of Wayne Manor, and it bent just slightly under his weight. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky, and if it wasn't for his built-in cooling unit, the heat of the season would have definitely been getting to him. On the floor above him, the other members of his team were no doubt busy projecting a heat of their own. He shook his head, surprised at himself for the tiniest twinge of jealousy that had shot through him at the thought. 

It wasn't that like he liked either of the female members of the team – at least not in _that _way. They were like kid sisters to him, and he enjoyed the big brother role. But it was in times like this, when they spilt off like that and just seemed so damn close, that he couldn't help feel a little left out. He straightened up, stretching, silently admonishing himself for even caring. 

"Is something troubling you, Master Victor?" an elderly, calm voice inquired from behind him.

Cyborg turned, not used to being addressed by his proper name. "It's nothin'," he shrugged, "Just thinkin'."

"Containing disquieting thoughts within one's mind may, more often than not, lead to further confusion," Alfred admonished, taking a step or two away from the door towards the young man.

The android lets his arms fall limp at his sides. The old butler certainly had a way with words, that was for sure. "Well…" he began, then found himself blushing, and turning back towards the open sky, "It's silly…"

"But obviously of some importance to you," the lone servant of Bruce Wayne said, smirking ever so slightly, "Or else it would not hold such command of your current stream of contemplation," he stepped up next to the android, looking out into the afternoon sky, "Does this subject pertain, perhaps, to your comrades recent interest in one another?"

It was all Cyborg could do to keep his jaw from dropping. He'd never met anyone quite as canny as this man who stood beside him now. He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly, "Yeah, maybe…"

The old man smiled, "Don't concern yourself with them too much, Master Victor."

"It's not _ really _them I'm concerned with," he admitted, "It's me. I mean, I'm happy for them and all…but it just makes me think, ya know?"

"I understand your concerns, Victor," Alfred said, turning his head towards the young robot, "But do not dwell on them. Mistress Kory and Mistress Raven are but two females in a world of six billion beings. Just because you did not find contentment within your Tower as Master Tim and Master Garfield did does not make you any less a man. Rather, once you find your true partner, you will have proven stronger than the two of them combined, for you ventured away from the safety of your home to explore the world," Alfred's face grew concerned, "Do you understand, Master Victor?"

It took a moment for the full extent of the words to sink in, but the android nodded slowly. "Yeah…" he said, a small smile tugging at his lips, "Thanks, Al."

"My pleasure, sir."

* * *

Another short week later, Robin and Beast Boy were deemed fit to travel and the Titans were gathered in the multi-car garage of Wanye Manor, reloading the T-Car with whatever scant items they had originally brought with them, as well as a whole trunk load of things purchased during their stay in Gotham. 

"Did we get everything?" Cyborg asked as he shut the trunk door.

"That's the last of it," Raven said, tossing her duffel bag into the back seat. The book from Bruce's library was inside it, wrapped inside her old blue cloak.

Starfire shook Alfred's hand in farewell and then turned to Bruce, "I was sad to come here at first, but now I am sad to leave," she told them, "I hope very much that we will see each other again."

Bruce Wayne smiled, his pearly white teeth showing, "Of course we will. Let's hope that next time can simply be a visit, eh?"

"Yes, indeed," she said.

Robin hobbled over to them on crutches, "Maybe we can make it sooner than five years next time, too.

"You kiddin'?" Beast Boy asked, joining the group as well, his right arm in a sling, "There's no way I'm waitin' five years before I get to live in a mansion again – I'll be old by then…"

Wayne sighed, "What'll that make me?" he asked, grinning at the young man.

"I dare not think of it," Alfred stated firmly, shaking his head, "For that would make me five years older as well."

The sound of the revving engine echoed through the garage and Cyborg called out, "Come on guys, all aboard! It's a long drive back to Jump City."

All but Robin headed towards the car. "See ya later, old man."

"Take it easy, kid," Bruce nodded, "And try not to get kidnapped again. I think a certain female member of your team would go insane."

Robin grinned, "I'll work on that," he turned to go, "Later, Alfred."

The butler smiled, "Do not be a stranger, Master Tim. I don't continue to dust your things because I enjoy the task, you know."

"Gotcha," the last member of the Titans slid into the front passenger seat of the T-Car, shut the door, and Cyborg backed it out of the garage. With all of the teens waving out the windows, the car turned and rolled down the sloping driveway out to the open highway.

As Bruce and his loyal servant turned to return to the house, the millionaire said, "You could've fooled me about that dusting thing."

"Very funny, sir."

The End

* * *

A Final Word from the Authors: Yes, the end has come. Thank you to all for your support - we hope this has been as enjoyable for you as it has for us. 

Upcoming Events: After this longer story (not our longest, by far), we have decided to experiment with short stories - still starring the Teen Titans! These stories will take place after "Maturity", so be prepared for references to it! And after we're finished with those, we're going to go back and give the long-story another try. Hopefully that one will be longer than this one was. ^_^ 

Until then...::waves:: See ya! 

-The Invaders Sam & Shaun-


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